Basle vs Manchester United preview - Rooney will be ready - Sir Alex

Posted Wednesday, December 07, 2011 by PA

Sir Alex Ferguson has rejected fears Wayne Rooney may be distracted from Manchester United's crucial Champions League clash at Basle on Wednesday by UEFA's disciplinary hearing into his three-match international suspension later this week.

Rooney will learn on Thursday whether his appeal against the suspension handed down for his dismissal in England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro in October has been successful, with the Football Association hopeful the punishment will be reduced.

The hearing is an unwanted distraction for United manager Ferguson, coming as it does just a day after his side's meeting with Basle.

But with United still requiring a point from their final game against the Swiss champions to reach the last 16, and both Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez ruled out by injury, Ferguson expects Rooney to focus on club matters on Wednesday night.

"I don't think that comes into it at all," said Ferguson when asked if the hearing was likely to affect Rooney's focus. "He has a game on Wednesday. An important game."

Even in the worst of times Rooney managed to perform at Basle's St Jakob Park, emerging from distractions in his private life to score for England in a vital qualifier against Switzerland in September last year.

Of more significance to Ferguson is his side's impressive away record in Europe. Since losing the second leg of their semi-final against AC Milan in 2007, United have suffered just one defeat in 23 away matches - to Bayern Munich two seasons ago.

It is that form Ferguson will rely on as his side look to avoid a repeat of what befell them in their first encounter with Basle in September, when they threw away a two-goal lead and needed a last-gasp Ashley Young leveller to earn a 3-3 draw.

"There was obvious complacency in the game when it went 2-0," said Ferguson. "We showed a lack of discipline in the second half.

"Fortunately we managed to waken up late in the game to get a result which has maybe rescued us in this section."

Basle skipper Marco Streller accused United of not taking the Swiss champions seriously at Old Trafford.

Streller believes the astonishing about-turn in that match was made possible by Ferguson's men taking it easy at a time of the season when they were scoring goals for fun.

"At 2-0, it seemed to me they didn't take us seriously," he said.

"But after that, I know they will not underestimate us again. They will take us seriously because now they know we are a good team. We have proved it already."

Basle's build-up has not been entirely problem-free.

Midfielder Benjamin Huggel has been ruled out with a calf problem, forcing coach Heiko Vogel into a reshuffle, although Basle, unbeaten since a home defeat by Benfica, did overcome Lucerne in a league game without the 34-year-old at the weekend.

Vogel feels there may be even more importance on this game because United's rivals Manchester City have taken a healthy five-point lead in the Premier League.

"At the moment Manchester City are really in form in the Premier League, but maybe not so much in the Champions League," he said.

"With Manchester United it seems to be the other way round.

"But they are still one of the strongest teams in the world.

"They reached the final last year and in 2008 they won the competition without losing a match, so we have to respect them."