A mellow autumn for Manchester United will look decidedly fruitful tonight if Alex Ferguson's team can beat Deportivo La Coruna at Old Trafford to leave themselves needing a win from two games to reach the second phase of the Champions League.
A reprise of the masterful display of passing and movement which gained the English champions a 2-0 victory in Piraeus a week ago would almost certainly bring about this sanguine state of affairs. Olympiakos had their moments, especially from free kicks, but after half-time they were outclassed.
Deportivo are likely to prove tougher opposition although they are missing five players including their Yugoslav defender Goran Djorovic and Holland's Roy Makaay. Nevertheless Javier Irureta's Spanish League leaders will hope to exploit any repetition of the defensive lapses which saw United lose 2-1 in La Coruna three weeks ago after leading until the 86th minute.
Manchester United achieved an attacking momentum in that match which continued at Tottenham four days later, when they overturned a 3-0 half-time deficit to win 5-3, and it showed no sign of slackening against Olympiakos. The hex that Spanish sides have on United may not be enough to spare Deportivo this evening.
Ferguson finds himself in an ideal situation for this stage of the season. He is free of injury worries, Laurent Blanc having passed a fitness test on an ankle yesterday, and the depth of the squad allows the United manager to hold back the full strength of his side for Europe while still being able to field teams of sufficient calibre to keep in touch at the top of the Premiership.
"I think this probably is the best squad we've had," Ferguson said yesterday, "and tomorrow I think we're going to see one of the games of the tournament. Certainly I'm looking forward to this match more than any other game we've had for a while."
All seven players who missed Saturday's 3-1 victory at Sunderland, including Roy Keane, David Beckham and Juan Sebastian Veron, could return. Again Ferguson will look to Paul Scholes to link with Ruud van Nistelrooy up front but already Veron is promising to be the principal influence behind United doing better in the Champions League this time than in the last two seasons.
Veron is the most important catalyst Ferguson has signed since he bought Eric Cantona, the crucial difference being that the Argentine midfielder thrives on the big European occasions whereas Cantona tended to go moody.
Keane's attacking inclinations have not been stifled by Veron's arrival but he no longer needs to carry so much of a burden in midfield. This should make him even more effective in breaking up opposition movements, especially the kind of counter-punches Deportivo will be seeking, and then launching further United attacks.
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-4-1-1, probable): Barthez; G Neville, Blanc, Johnsen, Silvestre; Beckham, Keane, Veron, Giggs; Scholes; Van Nistelrooy.
DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA (4-5-1, probable): Molina; Hector, Naybet, Donato, Romero; Victor, Duscher, Emerson, Valeron, Amavisca; Diego Tristan.
Referee: H Fandel (Germany).
