Sir Alex Ferguson could have been forgiven for feeling nostalgic as he returned yesterday to the scene of his greatest triumph, but the Manchester United manager has urged his players to forget the mesmerising events of nine years ago and concentrate on carving their names into history.

United completed an historic treble when they lifted the European Cup at the Nou Camp in 1999, coming from behind with two goals in the final two minutes to beat Bayern Munich 2-1. It remains United’s only appearance in a Champions League final under Ferguson, but he is confident of improving upon the statistic this season.

Barcelona, whom United face in the first leg of their mouthwatering semi-final showdown in Catalonia this evening, stand between Ferguson’s men and a place in the final in Moscow on May 21, but despite succumbing at this stage on three occasions, the manager does not believe that his present crop of players will be burdened by past failings.

“I don’t know what the players [who played in 1999] have said to the others because it’s almost ten years ago now,” Ferguson said. “The team of today is the team of today. They don’t need to worry or think about the past. They have seen it enough times on television and on videos.

“It’s not lost on any of them, but what’s more important is what they can shape themselves in terms of their own history. I think we are good enough to do that. You look at the form of Michael Carrick and Anderson and how they have developed, at Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are as good as the players we had in 1999, and you wouldn’t have any fears. They play without fear. They know it’s a semi-final and you can’t win without showing your true mettle.”

United took a 3-2 lead to the San Siro for the second leg of their semi-final against AC Milan last season, only to be beaten 3-0 as injuries and tiredness took their toll, but Ferguson believes that his team are stronger and in far better health this time.

Edwin van der Sar, the goalkeeper, will return after missing the 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday with a groin injury, while Wayne Rooney has overcome a hip problem and is expected to start as Ferguson aims to take advantage of playing the first leg away.

“We were not ready for last season’s game [against Milan in Italy], but I am far more confident now,” the United manager said. “I think the winners will stand a great chance in the final.”

Nemanja Vidic, the defender, backed up Ferguson’s hypothesis about United’s failure last year and was certain that things will be different tonight. “Near the end of last season we had to play with some injured players,” Vidic said. “It was nearly the same faces all the time and a bit hard for us. Maybe that was the reason we did not do so well in the final stages of the Champions League. This season we have a bigger squad and we are in good shape going into this game.”

Barcelona’s preparations have been overshadowed by infighting, the uncertainty over the future of Frank Rijkaard, their coach, and the loss of several key players. Carles Puyol, the captain, is suspended for the first leg, Ronaldinho, the Brazil playmaker, is unavailable after being ruled out for the rest of the season because of a leg-muscle tear and Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal striker, trained yesterday morning but has a fever.

Despite lying third in La Liga, 11 points adrift of Real Madrid, the leaders, Barcelona are a dangerous proposition and Ferguson believes that league form may count for nothing. The United manager would not be surprised if the teams played out another 3-3 draw, as they did at the Nou Camp and Old Trafford in the group stage in 1998, especially with Lionel Messi in the Catalan side’s line-up.

Messi will start, but Ferguson is playing down the notion that the match is some sort of contest between the Argentina forward and Cristiano Ronaldo for the unofficial title of world’s best player. “I am not worried about him [Messi],” Ferguson said. “As long as Ronaldo does the job he has been doing all season, we will be all right.”

Vidic was also keen to play down the importance of Messi, making it clear that United would be playing a dangerous game if they became fixated with the Argentina forward. “He is one of the best players in the world,” Vidic said. “Everyone knows that. But the game is not all about Messi. Like many good teams, Barcelona have many good players.

“We have a tough job but we will do our best to try and contain them and get a good result.”

Likewise, Ferguson expects a thorough examination for his team tonight. “It will be very balanced and it is a platform for players to do well,” he said. “We have failed in semi-finals when we should have won, against Borussia Dortmund \ and Bayer Leverkusen [in 2002], so we need a raising of the bar. We need more concentration and better retention of the ball.”

Rooney is desperate to become part of Old Trafford folklore and believes that there is no better way of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster than by lifting the European Cup. “I hope that we can become the best United team ever,” the England forward said.

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