Manchester:
With Dimitar Berbatov injured and Wayne Rooney questionable after becoming a father on Monday, Michael Owen is expected to start up front for Manchester United against CKSA Moscow on Tuesday in the Champions League.
A victory at Old Trafford would send the English champions into the knockout round with two Group B matches to spare _ matches when Owen could get further opportunities to play.
Against CSKA, the 29-year-old Owen could form a strike partnership with 18-year-old Federico Macheda if Rooney remains with wife Coleen and their new son, Kai Wayne Rooney.
Owen, a surprise offseason recruit, wants to use the Group B match to dispel the notion that he is injury prone. His cause wasn't helped by lasting only 20 minutes in October's home match against Wolfsburg.
"The older you get, the more you learn about your body," Owen said Monday. "I came off before it was too late. If I had stayed on and done another sprint, maybe I would have done my groin and been out for a month.
"Fortunately I could feel what was happening, so I put my hand up and said I had to come off. I was back training four days later."
England coach Fabio Capello had traveled to Old Trafford to watch Owen, who insists that a recall ahead of the World Cup is not on his mind.
"England is something I don't really think about," Owen said. "The last squad I was in was over a year ago now. I have played for England 89 times and I would love to play for England again.
"But I am concentrating on playing for Manchester United. I genuinely go to bed thinking that I have got to play well the next day and win games for Manchester United, not that if I score or play well I might get picked for England."
Jonny Evans and Wes Brown will start in central defense for United with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic injured.
"The great thing for Wes Brown is that he has remained fit this year," Ferguson said. "Last season, he had a terrible run of injuries. But the previous year, he made the most appearances and played in the final in Moscow.
"When he is fit and we bring him in there is no better defender in the country. He is a real true defender. I have no worries about Sunday in terms of Brown and Evans _ absolutely no worries at all."
With a crucial league match against leader Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Ferguson will not be taking risks with his key players against the Russians.
Midfielders Ryan Giggs and Park Ji-sung are also out of CSKA match, but Darren Fletcher returns after recovering from an injury sustained while with Scotland last month.
CSKA will be coached by Leonid Slutsky. who replaced the fired Junade Ramos last month after less than two months in the job.
"It's difficult to improve something in the team in the days left before the match in England," Slutsky said ahead of his Champions League debut. "CSKA has high-level players and they should quickly adapt to my requirements. A high-level specialist worked with the club before me, but our approaches to football are different."
A thigh injury is set to rule CSKA midfielder Sekou Jabateh Oliseh out of Tuesday's match.