(AP Photo/Jon Super)

United looking for 4th straight win to advance

MANCHESTER, England (AP) Injury-hit Manchester United can advance to the knockout round of the Champions League with a win over CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.

If United does secure a spot in the next round, manager Alex Ferguson will be able to field weakened teams in the two remaining Group B matches and focus on winning a fourth straight Premier League title.

United leads the group with nine points from three matches, with Wolfsburg in second with four and CSKA a further point behind. Last-place Besiktas hosts Wolfsburg in Tuesday's other group match.

While Ferguson wants United to attack CSKA "with purpose" at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney may not play because he is waiting for wife Colleen to give birth to their first child. Strike partner Dimitar Berbatov is a doubt due to injury, and central defensive duo Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic will miss the match with ankle injuries.

"A lot has been made about Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic being out, but when you have the backup of Jonny Evans and Wes Brown, it can't be bad," Ferguson said. "If you take Ferdinand and Vidic out then there aren't many partnerships in the Premier League better than Brown and Evans."

With a crucial league match against leader Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Ferguson will not be taking risks with his key players against the Russians.

Midfielders Ryan Giggs and Park Ji-sung are also out of the match against CSKA, but Darren Fletcher returns after recovering from an injury sustained while with Scotland last month.

"Most people recognize Fetcher as a big-game player," Ferguson said. "We've been aware of that for quite a while. Now there's an acceptance among most people that he's a very important player for us."

CSKA is heading to Manchester with a new coach, Leonid Slutsky. He replaced Juande Ramos last week after the Spaniard was fired less than two months into the job.

"It's difficult to improve something in the team in the days left before the match in England," Slutsky said ahead of his Champions League debut. "CSKA has high-level players and they should quickly adapt to my requirements. A high-level specialist worked with the club before me, but our approaches to football are different."

A thigh injury is set to rule CSKA midfielder Sekou Jabateh Oliseh out of Tuesday's match.

Updated November 2, 2009