Alex Ferguson has promised there is no chance of Manchester United underestimating the threat posed by AS Roma in their Champions League quarter-final tonight.
With Roma well behind Inter Milan in the battle for Serie A and the Italian game in general now regarded as inferior to both the Spanish and English domestic competitions, there have been suggestions seeping out of the Eternal City that Ferguson and his team do not believe they will face too much of a challenge as they look to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2002.
Yet the merest suggestion United will be in for an easy night brought scoffs of derision from Ferguson, who also rejected the theory the home side's star striker Francesco Totti does not represent a major threat either, mainly because the World Cup winner apparently did not figure on the Scot's list of danger-men.
'We will not be underestimating this match,' said Ferguson. 'I am too old for that. We don't underestimate anything. Do you think we prepare for big games without mentioning all the various threats against us? Totti is one of the most important players in the Roma team.
'People seem to want to make something out of it but that doesn't matter to me at all. We have prepared properly and considered all the problems Roma will put towards us. Hopefully, we will come up with the right answers.'
The key to a last-four spot as far as Ferguson is concerned is a cherished away goal.
Ferguson noted Roma's ability to get past his own dark horses Lyon in the last round despite being held to a scoreless draw on home soil, so the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo are required to meet one of the stiffest tests of their young careers.
Despite the pair's obvious talent, they have struggled to make a mark on the highest European club stage.
Rooney's 17-match barren streak dates back to his Champions League debut against Fenerbahce in September 2004.
Yet even that disappointing run is eclipsed by that of Ronaldo.
The Portugal winger might be regarded as one of the finest talents on the planet but he has not scored at all for United on the biggest European stage, his only goal coming in a qualifying-round win against Hungarian minnows Debrecen.
'I don't know why the pair of them have not scored in the Champions League,' admitted Ferguson. 'We have not scored a lot of goals in Europe over the last two years at all, which is obviously a factor.'
