Sir Alex Ferguson says his squad possesses the ability to make history over the next week.

The Manchester United manager leads his squad into four days which will define their season and the Scot is convinced his side has what it takes. On Saturday, United travel to Stamford Bridge, where victory will all but guarantee Ferguson his 10th Premier League title. Then on Tuesday Ferguson welcomes Barcelona to Old Trafford, where a win will ensure United reach the Champions League final for the first time since 1999, setting up an all-English final against Liverpool or Chelsea.

"The incentives are all there for us over the next few days - and we have the players and the squad to do it," Ferguson said. "It's a massive game, one that will take care of itself in terms of focus, we just have to make sure we are properly rested and properly prepared."

Ferguson was criticised following the 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp on Wednesday but the manager defended his squad, insisting his side's poor passing would prove no more than a temporary blip.

"We have to recover our passing ability because it was an area that let us down on Wednesday," he said. "It was surprising because normally we are very good at that part of our game. But I am sure we will get it back tomorrow. When you play any of the top four, you have to do well so in a sense it would not have mattered where we were in the table," he said. "Our record against them is not great but overall, I guess it balances itself out."

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a crucial third-minute penalty against Barcelona, but Ferguson backed the 23-year-old to bounce back and prove he can perform in matches of major significance.

"When you are as big as Ronaldo, people will always look for holes to pick at," Ferguson added. "That is just the way the world is. We can't do anything about it, so we won't worry about it."