Hargreaves has had to pull pout after suffering a recurrence of a problematic knee injury in training.

Gary Neville, however, is fit to play and is expected to make his first appearance for the club since the Community Shield win against Portsmouth.

The Uefa Super Cup does not sit high on Sir Alex Ferguson's list of priorities and the Scotsman fielded a half-strength side against Lazio in 1999 and paid the prize.

Memories of that night, and the fact that United have no league game in over two weeks, will encourage him to name his strongest possible XI as he aims to become the first manager to win the competition on three separate occasions.

Zenit, 4/1 underdogs, go into the game in a buoyant mood following their 3-0 win over Krylya Sovetov. Pavel Pogrebnyak scored twice and the striker will be involved against United. Euro 2008 star Andrei Arshavin is also available for Zenit - but may not start amid speculation that he's off to White Hart Lane.

The Russian club will be desperate to bring the trophy home from Monaco as they aim to deliver a message of intent to their European rivals. Zenit were given a stinker of a draw in the Champions League - paired with Real Madrid and Juventus - and will be keen to prove a point. The Red Devils must be warned against complacency.

The match itself is the centrepiece for the launch of the new European season. It follows the draw for the CL group stages United were only given a small allocation for their supporters. Around 3,000 ticketed Reds will be in Monaco.

Come on United - let's bring home another trophy.

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