Sir Alex Ferguson has promised his injury-ravaged Manchester United side will approach tomorrow’s Champions League semi-final against AC Milan with no fear.

Ferguson is facing the unhappy prospect of tackling the six-time winners without his entire first-choice defence at Old Trafford.

In addition, Park Ji-Sung and Louis Saha are also ruled out, leaving the United boss with only a 13-man senior squad, a group that includes two goalkeepers in Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak.

Yet Ferguson refuses to dwell on such a disastrous position and, with attacking talent such as Cristiano Ronaldo, the PFA Player of the Year, and Wayne Rooney, the United boss remains confident that his side can get a positive result.

“I don’t have any fears about it,” Ferguson said. “The mood in the camp pleases me. At this time of year, you are always looking for signs of nerves and, while we have concerns about the injuries, I don’t see any nerves.

“It is not going to be easy, but the name of the game in these situations is to win and not lose a goal. That is our plan and, if we can achieve it, it would be a massive result for us.”

With Patrice Evra fit enough only for a place on the bench, Ferguson has little option other than to name Darren Fletcher at right-back.

John O’Shea will partner Wes Brown in the middle and, with Kieran Richardson missing too, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is likely to be the only outfield player on a seven-man bench who has even appeared in the Barclays Premiership this season.

Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool manager, has offered his own tactical insight into the contest, arguing that Carlos Ancelotti, the Milan coach, should pitch Paulo Maldini against Cristiano Ronaldo.

The battle is unlikely to materialise, given that the 39-year-old now operates in the heart of Milan’s defence, whereas Ronaldo will be stationed on the right of United’s midfield.

However, there is intrigue over who will emerge triumphant between United’s youth and Milan’s experience, with Ferguson saying that Maldini is still a class act despite his age. “Paulo Maldini is one of my favourite European players of the last 15 years,” Ferguson said. “I watched him in the quarter-final against Bayern Munich and he went through the entire 90 minutes without making a tackle, which is an art form itself.

“He is 39 now but he must still be at the top of his game because there is no way a club of Milan’s size can afford to carry anyone because he has had such a great past.

“Sometimes, I look at my own team and wish we had more experience in certain situations. But equally I get encouraged by the hope and the future of the younger players who, in particular games, can really excite people.

“Paulo Maldini will leave a legacy for young players like Rooney and Ronaldo but it is very difficult to say what is best at this moment in time.”