United need to shut the door on Juventus

Mutual admiration abounded after Manchester United's 2-1 defeat of Juventus, with Sir Alex Ferguson extolling the efforts of a depleted Italian side and Marcello Lippi magnanimous in his praise of David Beckham. It could all be very different in Turin next Tuesday.

With eight Juventus players having succumbed to illness and injury, and the captain, Antonio Conte, pulling up lame during the warm-up, a contest which Ferguson had labelled "the biggest game in the world" had an atmosphere of phoney war rather than a Champions' League classic. United were not complaining: they now need a single point from the second half of their Group D schedule to make the quarter-finals, though they cannot afford a complacent approach in the Stadio delle Alpi.

Another victory, on the ground where they famously won 3-2 to reach the final in 1999, would all but guarantee that United advanced as winners of the section. That status would, in theory, secure weaker opponents at the start of the knock-out stages. More pertinently, beating the Serie A leaders would seriously undermine the prospects of further progress for a team who are, after all, one of United's main rivals to win the European Cup at Old Trafford in May.

United can be fairly sure of picking up at least a draw in either of their final second-phase fixtures, at home to Basle and away to Deportivo La Coruña. However, the chance to turn the screw on Juventus is likely to inform Ferguson's thinking when he comes to consider whether to rest key performers with a view to keeping them fresh for the pursuit of Arsenal in the Premiership.

"My team picks itself," was the United manager's brusque response when asked about Beckham's inclusion following their Tantrums League encounter. If he is as good as his word next week, and Juventus can welcome back most, if not all, of their big-name absentees, the return fixture should be quite an occasion.

Juventus seemed unusually content with Wednesday's outcome. They were relieved, no doubt, to have run United so close with a shadow side, but, when Lippi reflected on the bigger picture, he shared Ferguson's surprise and satisfaction over Basle's 1-0 success against Deportivo in Switzerland. The Juve coach knows that a win over United in Turin would make his team favourites to join them in the last eight.

United, while not at their rampant best, have obviously learned how to apply their European experience. Often pressed back on to defence, they nevertheless looked reasonably comfortable and it was stoppage time before Pavel Nedved scored for Juve. By then, Beckham had put the "flying boot" saga behind him by showing that, when it comes to weighting crosses, he is a cut above the rest. One rare scorer, Wes Brown, and one regular, Ruud van Nistelrooy, each benefited from his laser accuracy.

Van Nistelrooy has scored 21 times in 22 Champions' League appearances for United. It is a record which, despite Arsenal's domestic ascendancy, fuels Ferguson's belief that United may yet lift the more prestigious prize.