All Tonight's Build Up

Fergie, "There are plenty of options that I'm wrestling with. The performance in the second half on Saturday and the way Carlos Tevez's introduction to the team changed the pattern of the game - that has definitely not been lost to me.

"The energy of Tevez electrified us and Rooney weighed in with a ­brilliance that ran through the whole team," he said. "There were two goals for Wayne, two for Cristiano and Dimitar responded to over-the-top criticism with a class performance.

"You can see how we've risked over the years. It's a part of Manchester United. You've got to risk to win games - it's not a problem for me, that. It's always worth it to win a game.

"They won't change. They'll do what they always do - and that's have a go. There will be more vigilance this time in terms of not losing a goal, particularly on your own ground. That will be the key to it. We need to win without losing a goal, put it that way. I'd be delighted to win the game 1-0"

Fergie had praise for Arsenal's brand of football, "I like the way Arsenal play," he said. "He has kept his principles always the same and I think that's great credit to him. His consistency hasn't changed and I think Ars­enal have reaped the rewards of that. There are similarities in the way both our teams play football. Both also believe in young players.

"At United, we have now given eight players from our Academy debuts in the first team this season. That's fantastic for a team challenging for honours the way that we have to.

Asked whether he cared if the match was an attractive game to watch, Sir Alex said, "Of course I care, Christ Almighty. I hope we play a fantastic game and win. I respect Arsenal's ability to play good football, too, and it could be a cracker. Looking at the tie itself, and looking at the players who will be on view, you almost think this is the perfect semi-final. It is full of terrific footballers and both teams play terrific football. It could be that way. It has an appetising look about it."

Fergie is not worried about Theo Walcott giving Evra a difficult evening, despite the problems the Frenchman had containing Aaron Lennon at the weekend. "Patrice is quick enough for that. He has played against Walcott a few times and we are all right with that. But we have had to do our homework because the boy Walcott is quick, probably the quickest forward in England at the moment. We just have to prepare the right way."

Van der Sar, "It's important to keep Arsenal from scoring in the first leg. We had a great run halfway through the season where we never conceded any goals. Suddenly we had five games where we were shaky and then three games where we had clean sheets again.

"We weren't happy about how we conceded two goals to Spurs on Saturday but we've analysed it and learnt our lesson. You get more nerves in a European game. You hear the Champions League song before kick-off so you know it's something special.

"It's not just a Premier League game it's a semi-final, so the stakes are high and both teams will do all they can to reach Rome."

Wenger, "The rules are made to encourage the team at home to be cautious and the team away from home to be audacious. To score an away goal would be very important.

"I don't know if we will benefit from being underdogs, I just believe that we're on a good run and are going from strength to strength. We have enough to deliver something special. One day, Andrey Arshavin scores four goals against Liverpool, another day, someone else will score. We have an ideal of the game that we love and we want to play. Anyone in our team can take advantage of that. Let us not focus on United's weaknesses but on our strength and the way we want to play.

"The team has matured. It is mentally very strong and very determined. Maybe this is because we went through a bad start to the season; a difficult period helps a team that is very young. It is a different animal to last season."

Wenger went on to say that the Champions League is the one thing missing from his managerial CV. "It is a gap," he said. "That's why we are here and that's why we are very determined to wipe that out. If you look at the history of the club, they were not so many times present in the Champions League before I arrived. I believe we have been consistent and very close; every year, nearly there. Let's continue like that and I am confident we will make it.

"Every title makes you a bigger club. At the end of the day, the size of the club is the number of people who love the club and people love success. The more you win, the more you have fans who love the club. There is something more than just winning trophies, there's the style of play, the ambition you have, the values that the club has but it all has to be right.

"In fairness, I'm at the stage of my career where I'm more focused to do it for the club, the fans and the players, than to do it for myself. I've had the luck to stay for 13 years at the same club, I know how much it would mean to them. I love to win. You can't always win everything but my desire is always to win everything so you will be frustrated.

"More than that, though, I'm just focused on giving something back to the team. Winning the Champions League has never been done in the club's history. I want this group of players to do it for the first time."

Adebayor, "I know they do not like me because I've managed to get goals and you just feel like 'OK, I will show you again how good I am'. It won't be easy to get another goal but I will do everything it takes. When you get on to the pitch, the people around will be singing against you, they will be hating you, and that can give you more motivation.

"This is the moment that we've waited for. I'm an optimist and I believe I will win it and the sooner, the better. That's why I am here with complete belief. What I want is for my team to play with belief and certainty, and with a desire to score goals."