Man Utd vs Besiktas

Champions League

Venue: Old Trafford Date: Wednesday 25 November Kick-off: 1945 GMT
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 live and ITV1

Dimitar Berbatov could make a surprise return for Manchester United in Wednesday's Champions League encounter with Besiktas at Old Trafford.

Rio Ferdinand (back), Johnny Evans (calf) and John O'Shea (ankle) are out.

Midfielder Darron Gibson will start, while Gabriel Obertan is also tipped to start his first European tie.

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is in the squad, although he is expected to be replaced by either Tomasz Kuszczak or Ben Foster in the starting XI.

Bulgarian international Berbatov, 28, missed matches either side of the international break with a knee injury and Sir Alex Ferguson stated on Saturday his £30.75m forward would miss the game against the Turkish champions.

However, Berbatov was able to train with his team-mates on Tuesday and Ferguson may consider letting the former Tottenham man loose on Besiktas, who are currently without a win.

Victory for the Premier League champions would almost certainly confirm top spot in Group B.

Ferguson says that, although his side have already reached the knock-out stages, the chance to build the experience of youngsters like Danny Welbeck, Obertan, Federico Macheda and Gibson will be crucial.

"We could have a non-event game if we wanted to," he said. "But that is not the way we want it to be.

"We want an exciting game and we will do our best to challenge the young players who do play.

"Sometimes you cannot hold a young man back and that time is approaching for Darron now because he is becoming a good, powerful midfield player.

"He is not playing the amount of football he would wish for but he has never let it get to him in terms of being unsettled.

"His performances in training are excellent and he comes in each day knowing it is going to be worthwhile.

"There is always an issue about whether it makes a difference between finishing first or second in the group, especially when you look at some of the groups, but we will be trying to be number one."

Ferguson also says that the strife so many of Europe's big clubs have endured in the Champions League this season should highlight his team's achievement in reaching consecutive finals.

"It shows how tough it is to retain the cup as we nearly did and maybe our achievement has been underestimated because you see how difficult the others are finding it," said the Scot.

Besiktas coach Mustafa Denizli has admitted he would prefer to be meeting Manchester United's established stars rather than Ferguson's fledglings at Old Trafford.

"I would prefer to play against a more familiar United team," he said. "It is easier to plan for.

"The young players are still good players but, as a team, they are also an unknown quantity.

"What I do know is that some of these guys will be stars in the future. When you are talking about Rafael I would say it is 100% guaranteed."

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Man Utd (from): Foster, Kuszczak, Rafael, Brown, Vidic, Evra, Anderson, Fletcher, Valencia, Giggs, Scholes, Carrick, Park, Gibson, Obertan, Nani, Rooney, Owen, Berbatov, Welbeck, Macheda.

From BBC