'Typical Germans' fumes Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson slammed the behaviour of the Bayern Munich players after Manchester United's Champions League exit at the hands of the German side.

United, who lost on away goals having won 3-2 on the night, appeared to be cruising through when they led 3-0 after 40 minutes thanks to goals from Darron Gibson and Nani (two).

But Ivica Olic slotted home just before the break for Louis Van Gaal's side. Rafael was dismissed for a second booking early in the second half and a stunning volley from Arjen Robben saw the visitors progress on away goals as the tie ended 4-4 on aggregate.

Ferguson was furious about the manner in which the Bayern players had put pressure on referee Nicola Rizzoli to show Rafael a second yellow card after tugging back Franck Ribery.

When asked if the sending-off had changed the course of the game, Ferguson told ITV1: "There is no doubt about it. They were never getting through that tie, with 11 men we had no problem.

"The young boy showed a bit of inexperience, but they got him sent off, everyone sprinted towards the referee - typical Germans."

The Scot also believed United had been the better side across the two legs.

"We played better today than they did in their own ground. Without the extra man they made the ball work and I thought we defended very well, it's taken an exceptional strike to settle the tie.

"We have done well, the performance was excellent, we were very unlucky."

Ferguson also played down any fears that Wayne Rooney had suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury.

The England striker was a surprise starter at Old Trafford but was soon limping after being caught in a challenge, he was eventually substituted after 55 minutes.

"We will have a look at it," Ferguson said.

"I don't think it is serious. It's just that tissue and the blood vessel has just burst. I am sure he'll be fine for the following week."

Man United vs Bayern Munich Key Battles

We pick out some of the key one-on-ones to look out for in the crunch game between Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

Rafael Da Silva (Manchester United) vs Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)

With Sir Alex Ferguson opting for youth before experience, Rafael will replace Gary Neville as the man to man-mark Ribery. The Frenchman was all over Neville in the first half of the first leg - running the veteran into the ground with his pace and trickery on the flank.

Rafael's stamina will give United a huge advantage, but the youngster will have to curb his penchant for going on attacking runs and leaving wide open spaces behind him.

If the past is anything to go by, Rafael hails from the Paul Scholes School of tackling - and he'll have to be very careful not to go in stabbing with his leg when Ribery is in and around the penalty box.

Michael Carrick (Manchester United) vs Mark Van Bommel (Bayern Munich)

Carrick will likely replace Scholes, who played the full 90 minutes in the first leg. The younger midfielder will be up against the highly experienced Van Bommel. The Dutchman was relatively quiet in the first leg except for one exhilarating run which culminated in Edwin van der Sar having to make a brilliant save.

However, the Bayern captain is incredibly versatile - capable of stemming opposition attacks as well as setting forth his team on the counter. Carrick will have to shadow him all over the pitch to make sure the indefatigable Van Bommel does not dominate the midfield.

Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United) vs Martin Dimichelis (Bayern Munich)

Berbatov looks lazy. But some people think he does it to lull the opposition into a false sense of security. It might be sacrilege to say this - but on his day the Bulgarian is probably as good as Rooney in front of goal.

For his part - Dimechelis looked like the court jester in the majestic Allianz Arena during the first leg. His clumsy slip allowed Rooney to sneak in for the opener and the defender was constantly caught out of position from crosses and long balls. While he will most likely not have to deal with the all-action Englishman this time, Berbatov can make shaky defenders wish they had never been born.

The Argentinean will have to be on the lookout for the clever flicks, lobs and nutmegs that Berbatov has made a living out of.

Rooney could be back for derby

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that Wayne Rooney could return for Manchester United against Manchester City on April 17.

The striker is currently sidelined with an ankle problem picked up in the Red Devils' 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich last Tuesday.

Fears were raised as to his long-term fitness the moment he hobbled out of the Champions League quarter-final clash at Allianz Arena.

Relief for United and England came with the news that he was only expected to be out for up to three weeks, but his absence could yet put paid to the Red Devils' hopes of landing major silverware this term.

Understandably, they are keen to have Rooney back in action as quickly as possible and Ferguson is hoping his talisman may return for a crucial derby encounter at Eastlands later this month.

"I think he will be back at the most in three weeks and we have earmarked the game at Manchester City," said the United boss.

"There will be time for him to still have a big impact on our season.

"Hopefully if we get past Bayern Munich he would be available for the semi-finals."

United welcome Bayern to Old Trafford in the return leg of their last eight contest on Wednesday.

Rooney will definitely play no part in that fixture, as Ferguson's men look to turn the tie on its head, but veteran goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is confident the Red Devils can prevail without their leading forward.

"The one thing we know about Bayern is that they will be mentally strong - as they were in the first leg after we scored first," said the Dutchman.

"It's a very German strength, of course. They are very fit and they have a belief in themselves that keeps them going right until the very end.

"And having (Louis) Van Gaal as their coach will have only added to their quality and belief because I know from experience he is a man who leaves nothing to chance.

"He is someone I have a great deal of respect for, and I know he will have Bayern set up the right way to get a result to go through at Old Trafford.

"The thing is, we also have a very good coach - and Ferguson knows what will be in Van Gaal's thoughts even better than I do.

"We have the experience to progress beyond Bayern and we also have the quality.

"And even though we were disappointed to lose the first game in the last minute, we know we can win even without Rooney."