Champions League first knock-out round, first leg
Lille v Manchester United
Date: Tuesday 20 February
Kick off: 1945 GMT
Venue: Stade Felix Bollaert, Lens
Manchester United hope to have a full squad to choose from for their Champions League tie with Lille.
Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is in the Red Devils party but rookie Tom Heaton also travelled in case the Dutchman has not fully recovered from a broken nose.
Wayne Rooney is set for a recall after he was suspended for Saturday's FA Cup draw against Reading.
He could partner Henrik Larsson, whose last appearance in this competition was for Barcelona in the 2006 final.
The one minor hiccup to United's preparations is that the pitch at Lens' Stade Bollaert has been declared unfit to train
It means both United and Lille, who did not concede a goal in two meetings with Sir Alex Ferguson's men last season, will instead train at the Lens training ground at La Gayette.
Man Utd (from): Van der Sar, Kuszcak, Heaton, Neville, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Vidic, Evra, Heinze, Brown, Fletcher, Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs, Carrick, Park, Richardson, Rooney, Saha, Smith, Larsson, Solskjaer.
SCOUTING REPORT ON THE OPPOSITION
Who are they? The tournament outsiders at the bookies - 125-1 if you fancy a flutter - it is more than 50 years since they won a French domestic trophy after a period of glory after the Second World War when they lifted silverware on seven occasions.
Recent form: Bad. Three straight wins took them to second in Le Championnat following the winter break in France, but since then they have dropped to third after failing to win in three. Add a French Cup defeat to Nantes into the mix and they have scored just once in their last four games, when they took the lead at the weekend against leaders Lyon. But two goals conceded in the final seven minutes mean the bad run goes on.
European record: Lille made European competition for the first time in 2001. This is their second successive season in the Champions League and last year they enjoyed their best result when a 1-0 win over Manchester United helped them qualify for the Uefa Cup and dump their English opponents out of Europe. They also claimed the scalp of AC Milan in this year's group stage.
How did they get here?: They claimed third spot in Ligue 1 in dramatic fashion on the last day of the season to earn a place in this year's qualifying competition where they beat Macedonian outfit Rabotnicki to reach the group stage where they lost only one match.
Ones to watch: Sir Alex Ferguson will get another chance to watch midfield duo Jean Makoun and Mathieu Bodmer - if the latter proves his fitness. The pair drive Lille on and United have repeatedly been reported to be interested in signing the pair in the past. Cameroonian Makoun - AKA The Cleaner - is the one who does the tidying up with a tenacious attitude in front of the defence which leaves Bodmer, Lille's leading scorer in Le Championnat, to forage forward and find chances in front of goal.
Did you know? Lille's Stade Lille-Metropole does not meet Uefa standards so they play their 'home' fixtures 40km up the road at the Stade Felix Bollaert in Lens. Hopefully keeper Tony Sylva will be kept in the loop. A fortnight ago he made a 8,000km round trip to Senegal for a friendly against Angola only to find out the game had been cancelled and a new match had been re-arranged against Benin in Rouen, just 250km from his home.
They say: "We change our tactics in every match depending on the situation. I'll say our coach Claude Puel holds the ace here. Alex Ferguson is an institution, but we also have good coaches who have what it takes to confront the legend. With a good display the return leg will be a formality."
Peter Odemwingie, Lille striker
BIG MATCH STATS
Head-to-heads
Lille and Manchester United have met four times in European history, all in the Champions League.
In the 2001-02 CL campaign, United beat Lille 1-0 in a Group G home match, courtesy of a 90th minute goal from David Beckham. The return match ended in a 1-1 draw through goals by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Bruno Cheyrou. Last season's Champions League Group D encounter at Old Trafford ended 0-0, during which Paul Scholes was sent off. The return in France was won by Lille - Milenko Acimovic scoring the only goal of the game.
European history
Manchester United have won the Champions Cup/Champions League twice (1968, 1999), the Cup Winners' Cup once (1991), the European Super Cup (1991) and the Intercontinental Club Cup (1999). They are taking part in their 12th Champions League season.
United have played 236 European matches, whereas Lille only have 40 games under their belt in Europe. This is only the fourth European season for Lille, their third in the Champions League.
Current European form
Lille reached the last 16 by finishing second in Group H behind AC Milan with nine points from six matches. They have never lost a home match in the Champions League. The run is now up to nine.
Manchester United qualified for the last 16 by winning Group F with 12 points from six matches. They've lost their last two away matches in the CL, 1-0 at Copenhagen and 1-0 at Celtic.
Player and disciplinary info
Lille's Abdul Kader Keita is suspended for this match. United's Paul Scholes will be suspended if booked. He holds the record for most yellow cards (28) in the CL.
Gregory Tafforeau is Lille's most experienced player with 14 appearances. Tafforeau, Nicolas Plestan and Mathieu Chalme have started and finished all CL matches this season. Louis Saha is United's CL top scorer this season with four goals. Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is the only United player who has not missed a minute in this CL season.
Other miscellaneous facts
Lille lost at home to Ligue 1 pacesetters Lyon 1-2 on Friday and lie in third place in the table - 18 points behind Lyon.
Manchester United are six points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premiership, but were held to a 1-1 draw, home to Reading, in the FA Cup on Saturday.
