Ferguson is braced to face Deportivo

Far from becoming easier for Manchester United with experience, Sir Alex Ferguson regards this season's Champions' League as the toughest in the competition's 10-year history. Today's second-phase draw will produce nothing to disabuse him of that notion.

Despite finishing the first phase at the top of Group F by virtue of the 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen, United learned yesterday that they will face one side from each of Italy and Spain. Deportivo La Coruña, whom they played four times last season, will definitely be in their section, while they must also encounter Internazionale or Juventus.

With one team from Ajax, Lokomotiv Moscow or Basle completing the group, the draw looks certain to bear out Ferguson's view that there will be no simple route to the knock-out stages for the 1999 winners. "It will be a difficult competition to win this time," the United manager admitted. "The Spanish influence has been strong for the past few years, but now the Italians have also raised the bar."

In his other sporting life, horse racing, Ferguson has no problem picking winners. The Champions' League, which has its final at Old Trafford this season, is proving more problematic. "It's impossible to see a favourite," he said. "Barcelona have shown the best European form so far. Milan and Juventus have done very well too, though Real Madrid are less convincing this year. I'm just hoping all three English teams can progress to the next round."

Spoken like the a true Scot. In fact, Ferguson was as indignant as any Englishman last spring when David Beckham had a foot broken by a tackle from Deportivo's Aldo Pedro Duscher. However, he will recall that United won the quarter-final 5-2 on aggregate and will remember, too, that both Inter and Juventus were beaten en route to the trophy three years ago.

Because of the experimental nature of both sides, the defeat of Leverkusen shed little light on United's form and morale after Saturday's derby debâcle. Three of the worst culprits – the Neville brothers and Fabien Barthez – were left out. Their line-up at West Ham on Sunday could see John O'Shea switch to central defence if Rio Ferdinand fails to recover from a thigh injury.