Boss on possible final

Sir Alex Ferguson has said he does not care who his Manchester United side might face in the Champions League showpiece at Wembley if they beat semi-final opponents Schalke.

United take on the unfancied German side in the first leg of their last-four tie this evening, with the Premier League leaders the overwhelming favourites to progress.

With the final at Wembley, the talk is already of a United clash with either Real Madrid or Barcelona on May 28, but Ferguson says he does not care who United may be up against.

"I don't care who we play in the final," Ferguson said. "This is where we should be.

"We really need to progress quickly to get to that level and the present group have enough experience in Europe now."

Ferguson is wary of the threat Schalke present, however, with the English side having been trumped by underrated German opposition in the past.

Two semi-final defeats, to Borussia Dortmund in 1997 and Bayer Leverkusen five years later, are part of an unhappy list of seven losses at the last-four stage for Ferguson.

Only four times have United gone on to make the final and though they emerged victorious on three of those showpiece occasions, Ferguson does not think that is sufficient.

"The expectation has always been high with regard to the European scene and you do get envious of other clubs' great record in Europe," he said.

"We are trying to gain parity with that. You look at Real Madrid (nine wins, three times runners-up), Milan (7-4), Bayern Munich (4-4), Ajax (4-2) and Liverpool (5-2)."