For Manchester United the Champions' League no longer represents a fond but distant hope. It is now a great expectation and should anything happen in the De Kuip Stadium, scene of United's Cup Winners' Cup triumph in 1991, here tonight to upset that notion the surprise will be as much Dutch as English. A fortnight ago United consolidated the advantage they had achieved by beating Juventus 3-2 with a 2-1 victory over Feyenoord at Old Trafford. The narrowness of the scoreline masked the superiority of Alex Ferguson's team.

Since then Feyenoord have sacked their coach, Arie Haan, after a 4-0 defeat by Ajax. It seems that wherever United tread these days managers fall like leaves from the trees.

Already Group B of the Champions' League has become a straight fight between United, who have taken a maximum of nine points from three games, and Juventus. The return encounter between the two sides in Turin on December 10th will almost certainly decide who goes into the quarter-finals as group winners.

In fact, if United beat Feyenoord a second time, and provided results elsewhere are favourable, they could travel home tonight virtually certain of making the last eight as one of the two best runners-up, even if they do not top the group.

Ferguson, however, refuses to consider such comfortable options. "My aim is to finish in front of Juventus," he insisted yesterday, "they are the biggest danger. It is pointless trying to assess what might happen in other groups."

Tonight United's principal concern will be to ensure that points are not needlessly thrown away. Henk Vos's late goal for Feyenoord at Old Trafford should have reminded Ferguson's players of how easily European matches can turn around.

When United resumed their long-delayed quest for a second European Cup four years ago, their manager, drawing on his experiences with Aberdeen, observed that "at this level, just when you think a game is won, that's when the roof falls in".

So tonight's exercise will largely involve making sure that no tiles are loose at the back while the attack tries to avoid missing the sort of chances which went begging at Old Trafford two weeks ago when only United's profligacy kept Feyenoord in the contest after Paul Scholes's excellent goal just past the half-hour. By the time Denis Irwin had increased United's lead with a penalty, midway through the second half, Andy Cole had hit a post and Teddy Sheringham, Ryan Giggs and Scholes had all wasted simple opportunities.

Since then the shell-shocked defences of Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday have born witness to the renewed potency of Ferguson's strikers. Cole has found a rich vein of scoring form, Giggs and Sheringham have joined in the plunder and Ole Solskjaer, who may start on the bench tonight, is eager to make up for time lost through injury.

Anything but a win for United this evening will be regarded as something of a triumph by Feyenoord. Leo Beenhakker, the former Dutch national team coach and one-time manager of Real Madrid, may yet be persuaded to leave Vitesse Arnhem for Rotterdam, but for the moment Haan's duties are being shared by Geert Meijer and Johnny Metgod.

Julio Cruz, the Argentinian striker suspended at Old Trafford, is due to return tonight. "It is not going to be easy for us," said Ferguson. "New management sometimes gets an immediate response from a team. You make mistakes in Europe and you get punished. We have to ensure sure we don't make mistakes."

Guardian Service.

Manchester United (probable) - Schmeichel; G Neville, Berg, Pallister, Irwin; Beckham, Butt, Scholes, Giggs; Sheringham, Cole.

Feyenoord (probable) - Dudek, Van Gobbel, Schuiteman, Van Wonderen, Graff, Bosvelt, Van Gastel, Van Bronckhorst, Sanchez, Cruz, Vos.