No home advantage for Red Devils

Ferguson received a further setback on Monday when striker Wayne Rooney hip and defender Nemanja Vidic face were ruled out of training with injuries.

Barcelona arrived in northern England with the semi-final delicately poised at 0-0. 8220;We8217;ve got to pick ourselves up,8221; said United winger Ryan Giggs, who won the Champions League in 1999.

8220;There8217;s no bigger game than Barcelona. We want to win the league and we want to reach the Champions League final, and it8217;s still in our hands.8221;

Premiership troubles

Ferguson gambled on Saturday by leaving key players Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez on the bench, and United went down to a late penalty by Michael Ballack which threw the title race wide open. With two rounds remaining, the Red Devils only lead Chelsea through a vastly superior goal difference.

United8217;s substitutes clashed with Chelsea staff during their post-match warm-down after an abusive remark was allegedly aimed at United defender Patrice Evra. But Portugese winger Ronaldo, missed his most important goal-scoring chance this season when he failed to convert a penalty kick against Barcelona in the first leg, is determined to make amends this week.

8220;I look forward to Tuesday against Barcelona, it is the biggest game of the season in my opinion. If you win, you are in the final,8221; Ronaldo said. 8220;It is a good motivation for me, my colleagues, my friends, everyone. I hope to win and the two league games are very important as well.8221;

Tough ask for visitors

Barcelona will have to end United8217;s run of 11 straight home wins in European play to reach its second final in three seasons. 8220;If we can get past their first line of pressure and play with the same intensity as the first leg, we have a lot of possibilities,8221; said Deco, who scored in the 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the 2006 final.

Captain Carles Puyol is set to return from suspension, replacing the suspended Rafa Marquez. Edmilson, who was ruled out of the Camp Nou clash with a back injury, could replace Giovani. Like Ferguson, Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard saw his decision to rest players on Saturday backfire.

Barcelona needed a win at Deportivo to maintain a glimmer of hope in the Spanish title race. But without a host of stars, including forwards Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto8217;o, its winless streak was extended to five games with a 2-0 loss. That left Barcelona in third place.

8220;We need to improve what is not working. We need solutions, we need results,8221; Rijkaard said. However, Barcelona technical director and former player Txiki Begiristain said he was optimistic about the trip to Old Trafford.

Positive tidings

8220;I don8217;t see Manchester charging forward but playing cautiously,8221; Begiristain said. 8220;I8217;m sure it will be the same on Tuesday. We are capable of winning and that8217;s an important factor.8221;

Rijkaard gave Deco a 30-minute runout in the second half as he is not fully match fit. The coach said Yaya Toure and Gianluca Zambrotta, who were substituted in the second half, also needed 8220;looking after.8221; The visitors also lacked the injured Ronaldinho, who is sidelined for the rest of the season.

Probable teams

Manchester United: Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Cristiano Ronaldo, Owen

Hargreaves, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs,

Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney

Barcelona: Victor Valdes, Gianluca

Zambrotta, Carles Puyol, Gabriel Milito,

Eric Abidal, Xavi, Yaya Toure, Deco,

Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto8217;o, Andres Iniesta