LIVE FA Cup
ByReuters
Published 22/05/2004 at 09:42 GMT
Millwall will pull off one of the greatest upsets in FA Cup final history if they beat Manchester United in Cardiff on Saturday. The unfashionable First Division side are hoping to emulate the biggest Cup final shock when Sunderland, then in the old Secon
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Few give the south Londoners much hope in their first FA Cup final against a United side who knocked out Arsenal, winners of the competition the last two years, in the semi-finals and are desperate to salvage something from a below-par season.
Their hopes of retaining the premier league title were hammered by the suspension of England defender Rio Ferdinand in January and they finished third, 15 points behind champions Arsenal after nine defeats.
United's Champions League campaign was ended in the second round by Porto's late equaliser at Old Trafford, sending the 1999 European champions tumbling to a 3-2 aggregate defeat.
"It doesn't figure in terms of disappointment if you win the FA Cup. You can't be disappointed," United manager Alex Ferguson said.
"It's a trophy and it's an important trophy. The romance of the FA Cup has been with Manchester United for a long, long time."
AWESOME PEDIGREE
Since winning the FA Cup in 1999 for a record 10th time United have not made any impact in the competition.
They controversially withdrew in 2000 to travel to Brazil for the world club championship and failed to reach the quarter-finals in the past three seasons.
Despite that recent record, however, the Old Trafford side have an awesome FA Cup pedigree as they equal Arsenal's record of 16 final appearances.
By far the stronger side on paper, prolific Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and wingers Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo, in particular, should enjoy taking on a mid-table First Division defence.
Skipper Roy Keane, whose sixth final appearance is the second highest tally after Arthur Kinnaird's nine from 1873-83, is fit to lead his team after a hamstring injury.
Millwall know what to expect at the Millennium Stadium.
"He's a wounded tiger and he's going to come out fighting so we've got to be prepared to hit them head on," assistant manager Ray Wilkins told reporters.
"They'll be wanting to win this because Sir Alex is desperate to pick up a trophy... and we've got to stop them taking it."
Millwall are sweating on the fitness of player-manager Dennis Wise, who could become the first man to win the Cup as a player with three different clubs if he shrugs off a leg injury and helps his side to an improbable victory.
The combative 37-year-old midfielder was a member of the Wimbledon 'Crazy Gang' who upset Liverpool in the 1988 final and he collected winner's medals with Chelsea in 1997 and 2000.
COMBATIVE WISE
Wise is sure to enjoy a spicy confrontation with Keane if he recovers sufficiently to lead Millwall, whose route to Cardiff has been eased considerably by avoiding premier league opposition until the final.
Australian midfielder Tim Cahill, a United fan who scored the semi-final winner against Sunderland, summed up the mood in his team's camp.
"There's lot of confidence," he said. "We look upon this game as something we've achieved and it means so much to us. It's such a good reward.
"Definitely, we're not there to make up the numbers."
Millwall have nothing to lose in the biggest game in the club's history and already have a consolation prize in the form of a UEFA Cup place since United will be in the Champions League qualifying round.
They can also improve the image of a club synonymous with racist hooliganism in the 1970s and who had to ban fans from six rival clubs in 2002 after clashes with police.
United, however, are well used to coping with the pressure of expectations.
"If you think of 80 percent of the games we play, we are playing underdogs," Ferguson said. "So why should this be any different?"
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