Sir Alex Ferguson has pledged to take the encounter with UEFA Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg seriously after losing out to Lazio the last time United played in the match following their Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich in 1999.

However, Ferguson also recognises the tie offers a perfect opportunity to give some match practice to some key figures within his squad.

tendinitis problem

Neither Neville nor Hargreaves have played a competitive fixture for the Red Devils yet this season. Hargreaves has been trying to overcome a tendinitis problem, while Neville has missed out due to the form of Wes Brown.

"I want to win," said Ferguson. "I remember the last time we went there I only played half a team because we had a Monday league game against Newcastle.

"When I saw Lazio celebrating at the end, it was like they had won the World Cup. I was not too pleased. I thought, 'That will not happen again'."