Manchester United will miss one round of Premier League action
before Christmas because they will be taking part in this year's
FIFA Club World Cup after winning the UEFA Champions League at the
end of last season.
The Red Devils play Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday before flying
out to Japan the next day, and Sir Alex Ferguson has made a clear
statement of intent by naming a full-strength squad.
The tournament starts on December 11, but United will not
feature until the 18th, as they have received a bye straight to the
semi-finals where they will do battle against one of the following
teams: Adelaide United [Australia]; Waitakere United [New Zealand];
or Gamba Osaka [Japan].
Egyptian kings Al-Ahly contest Mexican side Pachuca in the other
half of the competition and the winner will then play LDU Quito of
Ecuador in the other semi-final.
The final will be staged three days after the semis, on the
21st, at the Yokohama Stadium, and then the reigning double
champions will return on Boxing Day to take on Stoke City.
Travelling Squad:
Goalkeepers: Van der Sar, Kuszczak,
Foster.
Defenders: Neville, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic,
O'Shea, Evans, Rafael.
Midfielders: Ronaldo, Anderson, Giggs,
Park, Carrick, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher, Gibson.
Strikers: Berbatov, Rooney, Tevez,
Welbeck.
