Puel fans flames ahead of United clash

Lille coach Claude Puel has accused Sir Alex Ferguson of a lack of respect as the touch paper for Wednesday night's Champions League return with Manchester United was well and truly lit.

The arguments that have rumbled on since Ryan Giggs netted the Red Devils' controversial first-leg winner in France a fortnight ago spilled over on the eve of the decider, with Puel refusing to back down over Lille's complaint the Welshman's goal should not have been allowed.

Puel said: "Since the first leg, we have heard Sir Alex Ferguson say a lot of things and put a lot of pressure on. We know that this is one of his ways of doing things but, in France, we are more interested in respect between teams and between managers."

He added: "It is difficult to see why this is Lille's fault - the situation has been created by them (United). Manchester United's own fans were violent and in possession of counterfeit tickets. The facts are there for everyone to see."

Puel's comments on the behaviour of United supporters will be greeted with fury at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have already sent a bulky dossier to UEFA highlighting security problems at the Stade Felix-Bollaert, when their fans appeared to be rammed into penned enclosures despite signs of crushing, with riot police arriving on the scene to fire tear gas into the terraces.

Lille are now certainly guaranteed a hot reception from a capacity home crowd, with Ferguson still fuming himself at the conduct of the French team's players, who he feels acted irresponsibly.

"Our opponents have turned this match into something that goes beyond normal rivalry," Ferguson told United Review.

"They have virtually accused us of cheating by taking a quick free-kick, despite the fact that around the field their players took similarly speedy action on a number of occasions.

The bottom line is that Ryan Giggs showed great presence of mind while their team were caught napping - and that's not cheating."