Robin Bailey: Man Utd have been the most exciting team in the Champions League

Now a new generation of supporters is eager to see their team crowned kings of Europe again and United can take a giant step towards that goal if they beat Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Victory in their final Champions League qualifying game would see them into the last eight.

An Old Trafford hero

Alex Ferguson's side have home advantage and a draw could well be good enough to see them through but the Scot wants to avoid the possibility of having to qualify via the back door.

"There has been a good goal threat from us in this competition and we have looked like scoring all the time.

"If I had said at the start of this group that we would score eight goals against Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the three matches with one more to come, you would have asked how many suns are there in the sky," said Ferguson.

United should have been in an even better position and Peter Schmeichel's last-minute blunder which enabled Bayern to snatch a 2-2 draw in Germany, could yet come back to haunt them.

Dwight Yorke is surrounded

But Ferguson takes a positive view, saying: "You go into the Champions' League hoping to take something from every game and so far we have.

"As for Bayern, they are a very efficient German side - and that is what you expect. They have a lot of experience in their team, but I think we are ready for it."

"I don't think they will be killing themselves to beat us. They will want to make sure they don't lose a goal and I think they will defend much deeper than Barcelona did against us."

United are boosted by the return of Welsh international Ryan Giggs, who missed the last two Champions' League games after suffering a broken foot.

Alex Ferguson: They won't be killing themselves to beat us (BBC Radio 5 Live)

But they will be on their guard against Bayern's Brazilian international striker, Elber, who scored both goals in their first meeting.

"In attack, United are very good with David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Dwight Yorke, but we see they are vulnerable in defence. That's why we have a chance in Manchester," he said.

United team (probable): Schmeichel, Irwin, Brown, G Neville, Stam, Keane, Scholes, Beckham, Giggs, Yorke, Cole.

How United can qualify

Eight teams will go through to the knock-out stages of the competition; the six qualifying group winners and the two best-placed runners-up.

German club Kaiserslautern are the only club definitely though so far, with 16 teams still in contention for the remaining seven places.

Victory over Bayern Munich would give United top spot in Group D, but a draw would leave them anxiously awaiting other results.