By their own admission, Manchester United owe a debt of gratitude to Sporting Lisbon, a club with whom they enjoyed strong links even before the emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, but it is one that Sir Alex Ferguson does not intend to repay at Old Trafford this evening. His team may have qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League, but Ferguson is determined to win the group tonight and thus earn a little breathing space before they face Liverpool at Anfield next month.

United must travel to AS Roma on December 12 for their final game in the group stage and, with a trip to Merseyside to come four days later, he would like to rest his top players in advance of a match that will be vital to their Barclays Premier League title hopes. But before he does that, Ferguson is demanding that his team secure first place in group F and thus, in theory, earn themselves an easier tie in the last 16. That means winning tonight, even if by fielding a strong team against Sporting and then a reserve side against Roma, they could invite accusations of unfairness towards their old friends from Portugal.

“I think I can afford to make one or two changes against Sporting and have a look at youngsters such as Jonny Evans, but I won’t be turning the team upside down,” Ferguson said. “The fact that we play Liverpool four days after Roma next month is certainly one thing that we have looked at.

“Sporting need to get a result, but the desire to get the win that will give us options in Rome is important. Winning tonight will give us the opportunity to rest players if we want to. If we win, we have won the group and therefore can look forward to being seeded when the draw is made for the knockout stages. That’s important.”

Bang, presumably, go Sporting’s hopes of the victory they are likely to need if they are to beat Roma to the second qualifying spot in group F. Ferguson intends to use some of his fringe players, such as Tomasz Kuszczak, John O’Shea and Darren Fletcher as well as Evans, the Northern Ireland defender, whose only previous full appearance came against Cardiff City in the Carling Cup, but he also intends to recall Ronaldo against the club from whom he joined United for £12.24 million as an 18-year-old in August 2003.

With Nani following Ronaldo to Manchester this year, there is a well-trodden path from Sporting to Old Trafford - partly through an informal alliance forged by Carlos Queiroz, the United assistant manager, five years ago – and there is a widespread acceptance at the Portuguese club that any top-class player they produce from their outstanding youth academy is likely to end up at United sooner or later if they are willing to meet his valuation.

Recent reports have revolved around Miguel Veloso, the 21-year-old midfield player, who is the latest to have caught the attention of Queiroz and United’s scouts, but there are no plans to sign him in the immediate future.

“Miguel Veloso, João Moutinho, Ricardo Quaresma, Bruno Alves, Bosingwa – all have been watched by us,” Queiroz said in a Portuguese newspaper yesterday. “Do we want to get these players? Every club does. But we have six players in Veloso’s position, we just signed Owen Hargreaves and, at this point, he is not part of our options to buy as a priority.”

Ferguson, meanwhile, faces a three-match ban from the touchline after being charged by the FA with using abusive and insulting words towards Mark Clattenburg, the referee, at half-time during United’s 1-0 defeat by Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

Didier Drogba has been passed fit for Chelsea’s Champions League tie against Rosenborg tomorrow. The Ivory Coast striker missed the 2-0 win over Derby County at the weekend with a knee injury but will fly out with his teammates to Norway today. Chelsea need a win to make sure of their place in the first knockout phase with one round of group matches remaining.

Chelsea have lodged an appeal with the FA over Michael Essien’s sending-off at Pride Park in the hope of clearing him to play in next month’s match against Arsenal. The midfield player was dismissed for pushing Kenny Miller in the face. Old stomping ground: Ronaldo, who left Sporting Lisbon for Old Trafford in 2003, is set to return from injury to face his former club this evening