AND ONWARDS TO LISBON

Last updated : 28 September 2006 By Ed

Saha:

"We played some fantastic football at times but our finishing was certainly short and that's always a worry when you lose points. We had plenty of possession but in the last third of the pitch we showed a lack of penetration. It was a killer for us not having Louis Saha fit to start the game but with the European trip coming up we couldn't take a chance on him. I thought we would still have enough penetration in the team to win this game and the statistics will probably show we should have done that. It was a frustrating performance from us. We played some decent football but the stats, the possession and the shots we had don't matter when the result goes against you like this."

Carrick:

"It's a big occasion for us. The boys suffered disappointment there last season and we'll be trying to make amends for that. We had a good start against Celtic and we want to keep that going."

Quieroz:

"In the few months since the World Cup, Cristiano has grown up and matured fantastically. We won't speak about what happened against Benfica last season, we did that at the time. I think he realises this is a special opportunity for him to reverse what happened last season and leave the stadium in a correct manner. Cristiano has shown recently that he is not affected by mistakes, that he has a strong personality and can play with a lot of authority. I am sure he will do well."

Some team news, courtesy of Sky:

Rui Costa and Nuno Assis have been ruled out of Benfica's UEFA Champions League match with Manchester United on Tuesday.

The clubs go head-to-head in the second match of Group F with United anxious to avenge last season's exit from the competition at the hands of the same opponents.

The Estadio da Luz side have been boosted by the recovery of centre back Ricardo Rocha, but will be without their experienced pair of attacking midfielders.

Coach Fernando Santos has Kostas Katsouranis, Georgios Karagounis and Armando Petit (pictured) at his disposal as replacements, but could also opt to change his system.