Sir Alex targets Roma reverse

Manchester United FC manager Sir Alex Ferguson is confident his players can overhaul their 2-1 deficit when they take on AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg at Old Trafford in six days' time. Goals by Taddei and Mirko Vučinić at the Stadio Olimpico delighted AS Roma coach Luciano Spalletti, though he is only too aware of the threat posed by United, particularly with Wayne Rooney's away goal to count in the return on 10 April.

Luciano Spalletti, Roma coach
Everything will be decided at Old Trafford but my team proved they can play on the same level as a great side like Manchester United. Probably with a bit more luck we could have earned a bigger win. We did well to control their attacks for most of the match but Cristiano Ronaldo created their goal with a very good run and he has great quality. We marked him well for most of the game but he was better than us in that particular moment. It's a pity because it was one of the few chances they had, while we had several during the whole match. It was great to meet Sir Alex Ferguson. I think his qualities are superhuman because you cannot spend more than 20 years at such a great club and win so many trophies otherwise. He took a great risk when he continued to play with three attacking players after Paul Scholes's sending-off, because we often played six against six in their half. However, he was rewarded with an important away goal. I think we proved we have a chance to qualify at Old Trafford and we are confident we can get a result there.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United manager
I'm satisfied with the result. It's always crucial to score away goals, especially because Roma are very good at home. I think we have a good chance to progress despite the defeat. In the past, many great teams have come to Old Trafford after a first-leg victory and United still managed to get through. Roma are among the best teams we have faced this season. There was a great atmosphere here tonight and my younger players were a bit excited. It was a difficult game, especially after we went down to ten men. We tried to stop them by keeping our central midfielders very close to each other. Rooney's still young and can improve but tonight he scored a great goal and also defended well when needed. It's a pity to have lost Scholes for the return and I just hope we will not lose other players through injury next week.