M United the team to beat

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 2: Six weeks ago they were crowned unofficial champions of the world but this month Manchester United will look to set an official seal on their status by winning the inaugural World Club Championship in Rio, reports AFP.

United have ridden the storm of criticism which withdrawal from the FA Cup - necessitated by their 'Brazilian break' - engendered and are now on the verge of the ultimate prize in an unprecedented sweep of success over the past seven months.

The Roy Keane goal in Tokyo which beat Brazil's Palmeiras made the Red Devils the first ever English side to win the Intercontinental Cup duel between the champions of Europe and South America.

Coach Sir Alex Ferguson's men now have the opportunity to show they are unquestionably the greatest side on the planet as they take on the kings of the other continents.

United open their Group B campaign on Thursday against Mexican side Necaxa, the CONCACAF champions, in the Maracana Stadium and will then face 1998 South American champions Vasco da Gama of Brazil in a game expected to decide who will top the group and reach the final.

United's third game is against Oceania champions South Melbourne on January 11 before the final and the third-place play-off three days later in the Maracana.

For the English Premiership giants the sweltering Brazilian heat of anything up to 40 degrees Celsius could be one of their most difficult opponents as they prepare for four games inside only nine days.

Sir Alex admits that could be a problem.

"It's 38 to 42C, which is very, very hot and that's the one concern I've got. We hope we can handle it."

To combat the conditions, Ferguson intends to rotate his 23-man squad as much as possible and allow youngsters such as Danny Higginbotham, and Ronnie Wallwork a chance to impress. But England midfielder Paul Scholes will be missing as he prepares for surgery on a hernia problem.

United can achieve two aims with their trip - prove they are the best and also enjoy a sunshine experience far away from the madding crowds of the English Premiership.

"Some of the players will get a bit of sun, which isn't a bad thing," said Ferguson, who promised that "we're going to go and do our best and we hope we can win."

A mid-season trip to Brazil causing them to lose ground in the Premiership title race could be a bridge too far for players already slogging through around 60 games a season. Yet United should start favourites to lift the crown if they can adapt to the weather.

Mexico's Necaxa saw off Alajuelense of Costa Rica in the CONCACAF final while they also won the winter section of the 1998 league championship.

Midfield playmaker Alex Aguinaga, an Ecuadorian international who has been at the club a decade, is their star man but doubts persist on the club's attacking capabilities with another Ecuadorean, Agustin Delgado, unsettled and reportedly looking for a move.

Coach Raul Arias insists his players will not be overawed.

"We will be brave and fearless. We want to go all out to win this tournament as much as we would any other," explains Arias.

Yet the Mexicans travel to Brazil after six weeks of inactivity following a Mexican winter title elimination at the quarter-final stage.

"Physically, we're at about 80 percent," explained former Mexican international midfielder Ignacio Ambriz.

That may not prove sufficient.

Cynics my suspect that the Australian champions of Oceania, South Melbourne, are only along for the ride - yet coach Ange Postecoglou believes his underdogs can cause an upset.

"I can't see any reason why we can't pull off a surprise," Postecoglou said ahead of his team's departure for Brazil. "We'll do as good a job as any other team from Australia would have done," he promised.

The Aussies have a strong domestic pedigree having won two straight league titles and they booked their Rio tickets by beating Fiji's Nadi in the Oceania final showdown.

Vasco Da Gama are only in the tournament as Brazilian organisers thought it prudent to have a side from Rio - with Sao Paulo side Corinthians ensuring the host nation will get as much exposure as possible.

Vasco are the 1998 Libertadores Cup winners and current holders Palmeiras can feel hard done by as that decision predated their own triumph this year.

But Vasco hold two potential trump cards in the shape of controversial strikers Romario, newly arrived from Flamengo, and "The Animal" Edmundo, with whom Romario has conspicuously been unable to gel in the past while playing for Brazil.

The battle for supremacy in Group A, based at Sao Paulo's Morumbi stadium, should be a toss-up between Real Madrid, Intercontinental Cup winners in 1998, and Corinthians, who have home advantage - the main reason they were selected to take part as they have never won an international trophy.

Organisers hope local interest will be aroused by their presence.

Corinthians were 1998 Brazilian champions but they are through to the final of this year's league showdown and in Colombian World Cup midfield star Freddy Rincon and Vampeta among their chief talents.

Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr, the Asian Supercup winners, and African Champions League winners Raja Casablanca are only expected to make up the numbers, meaning Real Madrid can take a welcome break from their Spanish league woes and move towards a potential final match-up against Manchester United.

Real open against Al Nassr on Wednesday striving to overcome injury worries.

Goalkeeper Bodo Illgner and defender Julio Cesar are out of action and striker Raul has to get over a bruised tibia.

New coach Vicente del Bosque, who replaced John Toshack last month, says going from a cold Madrid to a boiling Brazil could be difficult but "we shall try to acclimatise as soon as possible."

The group runners-up will play off for third place.

The wisdom of holding such a tournament in an increasingly overcrowded programme appears questionable - especially as the event's legitimacy is diminished by the faact that only half of the eight sides are the reigning champions of their respective FIFA confederations.

Yet a United win would undoubtedly legitimise their claim to the title of undisputed world champions and set the seal on their other achievements.

It would also inject 6million dollars into the Old Trafford coffers - almost enough to cover a small chunk of next season's wage round.

The downside - a touch of jetlag and ground to make up at home - but a fifth piece of silverware will more than make up for that.