Man Utd vs Roma: Champions League - football odds

Manchester United's Champions League charge is under threat as injuries to defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic could cost them dear when Roma visit Old Trafford on Wednesday night. Click here for a free £25 to bet on Man Utd vs Roma with Betfair Ferdinand hobbled away from the Riverside on Sunday night with his foot in a protective cast after sustaining an as-yet undetermined injury during the 2-2 Premier League draw with Middlesbrough. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson is hopeful he could be fit to face Roma but the side will definitely be without Vidic who faces two to three weeks on the sidelines. While the headlines surrounding United's success so far this season have concentrated on the remarkable feats of Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored his 37th goal of the season on Sunday, little has been made of the solid rock upon which their impressive season has been built. Vidic, Ferdinand and Edwin van der Sar have been an unmovable force this campaign. But for Van der Sar's heroics on Sunday United, already minus the injured Vidic, United would have surely lost to Boro, who outplayed them for long periods of the match. On his own, Ferdinand struggled to cope with the power of Afonso Alves, who scored twice in a thrilling 2-2 draw, so Ferguson will be seriously worried about how to contain the skilful and muscular Mirko Vicinic, who was a handful at the Stadio Olimpico, not to mention the pacy Mancini if Ferdinand is not fit to play. United have been clinical in the Champions League this season rather than mesmerising. The match in Rome was a case in point as United hardly threatened until Ronaldo rose imperiously to head in their only chance of the first half. Had Roma's subsequent chances not fallen to defenders Christian Panucci and Max Tonnetto the Giallorossi would have been back in the match - and they were unfortunate to fall even further behind as a result of a goalkeeping error by Doni. United can just about expect to get through on aggregate as they will pack their midfield with ball-winning midfielders to shield the backline but another incredible display by Van der Sar will be required as Ferguson will have to choose between John O'Shea - who looked hesitant against Boro - Mikael Silvestre, who has been out for most of the season, Gary Neville, who has been out for the whole season and is a right-back and the inexperienced Gerard Pique, who has also barely played this year. Roma, meanwhile, have nothing to lose and can be expected to cause United problems having improved upon their long-held reputation as being poor on the road. This season they have won away in Serie A and the Champions League at difficult grounds such as Inter Milan, AC Milan, Palermo, Dynamo Kiev and Real Madrid - and although they must make do without Francesco Totti, the return of Juan will strengthen their hopes of keeping United at bay, while attacking midfielder Simone Perrotta is welcomed back from suspension. Roma should not be 47/10 to win the match - remember United can afford to settle for a 1-0 reverse - and Vucinic, Perrotta, Alberto Aquilani and Mancini all have the ability to exploit any weaknesses at the back. Verdict: 2pts Roma to win @ 5/1 (Betfair); 1pt HT/FT Draw/Roma @ 18/1 (Betfair) Click here for a free £25 to bet on Man Utd vs Roma with Betfair Betfair is the world's leading betting exchange and licensed bookmaker in the UK. Over 15 million bets placed a day! Get your Betfair £25 Free bet now!