'Jose Mourinho has done fantastically well at Chelsea,' said Ferguson. They have a system; they are very organised - and once they get a goal they are very good at protecting it. But this game is not about Jose Mourinho or Alex Ferguson. This game is about 22 great players.'
'Both sides have match-winners, and working out which player will win the match is far more interesting that any talk about managers.'
Arjen Robben
'I am not surprised how Arjen Robben has adapted to the English game,' was Ferguson's assessment of the flying Dutchman. We knew all about him.'
Ferguson has never lost a domestic semi-final and he is looking forward to extending his record:
'It's the best two sides in the country; it's sudden death. The atmosphere should be wonderful, and it should be a fantastic game. Our record in semi-finals is terrific, and I hope we can maintain that.'