Failures fuel Berbatov

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Dimitar Berbatov has more motivation than most to fire United to European glory; having suffered the devastating feeling of losing a Champions League final – twice – the Bulgarian has a score to settle.

Berbatov confides that lifting the famous trophy is “something I’ve dreamed about all my life”, and having gone close on two occasions, it’s only heightened his ambitions.

The Reds’ no.9 was a substitute in Bayer Leverkusen's 2-1 final loss to Real Madrid in 2002 (remember Zidane’s stunning volleyed winner?). "I was on the bench and thinking this is like every other game," he told UEFA.com. "I was just a kid, but the coach said 'warm up' and my heart was going to blow up."

His second appearance was last season's disappointing loss to Barcelona in Rome. "Two times, two losses for me,” he says. “But I'm glad I had the opportunity to play at the highest level. In my first final I was 19 and didn't pay much attention to that stuff. But then when you look back you are like, come on, not so many players have the chance to play in the Champions League final. So, the second time, losing to Barcelona, was very disappointing."

At United, with a wealth of experience and talent around him, he's

confident of making it third time lucky. "Everybody supports each other – when you look left or right, you see a player who can help you. And you have the boss as well, who knows how to motivate you. I want to be in a final again and I'm sure we will be.”

The 29-year-old perhaps has a point to prove too. His four goals in six European starts for the Reds came in his first two Champions League games for United. In ten appearances since, he hasn't found the net. The Reds could do with him finding his shooting boots for a tricky first knockout round clash with Milan. "It’ll be a great game," he said. "Some people say Milan aren't in the best shape, but it's deceiving. In the Champions League everybody is different. They'll prepare very well for us. There's no favourite: it's 50-50."

Playing against Milan for the first time carries special meaning for Dimitar, who followed the Rossoneri as a young kid in Sofia because his idol, Marco van Basten, played at the San Siro. "I was a fan just because van Basten played there," he said. "I was a big admirer of him; a great player, one of the greatest forwards ever. That's the reason I was for AC Milan, just because he was there."

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Premier League champions United fly out to Milan on Monday morning ahead of a possible reunion with David Beckham, who has returned to the Italian club from LA Galaxy for a second loan spell in the build-up to the World Cup.

Milan go into the fixture having ended their four-game winless streak with a 3-2 victory at home to Udinese on Friday evening, but the rossoneri have lost touch with Serie A leaders Inter Milan in recent weeks having taken just two points from four games prior to Friday's win.

In contrast, United have moved to within one point of Premier League leaders Chelsea on the back of a two-month unbeaten run in the league. But despite the divergent fortunes of the two teams, Berbatov, a boyhood Milan supporter, insists that United will not be lulled into a false sense of security by their opponents' recent problems.

Berbatov said: "It will be a great game. Some people say that Milan are not in the best shape, but I think that can be deceiving. In the Champions League, everybody is different. I know they will prepare very well for us, so there is no favourite. It's 50-50. I have played against each big club in the world, but I've never played against Milan, so I am very excited.

"I was a big admirer of Marco van Basten. He was a great player, one of the greatest forwards ever, and that's the reason I was for AC Milan, just because he was playing there."

United are aiming to reach a third successive Champions League final this season, having beaten Chelsea in Moscow in 2008 before losing to Barcelona in Rome last year.

Should Sir Alex Ferguson's team achieve a rare hat-trick of finals, it will hand Berbatov the opportunity to end his barren run in the final, after losing with United last term and being part of the Bayer Leverkusen team defeated by Real Madrid in Glasgow in 2002.

Berbatov said: "I was on the bench [in 2002] and thinking this is like every other game. I was a kid back then, but it is now two finals and two losses for me. I'm glad I have had the opportunity to play at the highest level, though. I want to be there again and I'm sure we will be.

"When I was in my first final I was 19 and I didn't pay much attention to it. But when you look back you realise not so many players have the chance to play in the Champions League final, so the second time, when we lost against Barcelona, was very disappointing."

Rio Ferdinand, whose domestic suspension will rule him out of next Saturday's trip to Everton, is set to start against Milan, but calf injury victim Nemanja Vidic – a summer target for the Italians – is unlikely to figure.

Whether Beckham will be selected by Milan coach Leonardo remains to be seen, with the 34 year-old on the bench in recent weeks. But United captain Gary Neville, who played alongside Beckham for United and England, insists that the focus on the former England captain will not prove a distraction for Ferguson's team.

Neville said: "Beckham's presence does not distract from the importance of the match. It's the first time he is facing Manchester United since he's left, so it's a good story that he is returning to face us seven years after such a good career with United. But I think that once the match starts, nobody will be thinking about it.

"We have played against former team mates like my brother, Phil, and Nicky Butt, so you get used to it.

"AC Milan always rise to the challenge of playing in the European Cup. We've played each other a few times, though we've done better against Inter than AC Milan. But it would be good to go to Milan and perform the way we've been doing in recent weeks."