• Midfield pair had been major injury doubts • Ferguson cool on talk of league, Cup and European treble

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is refusing to get ahead of himself in the club's bid for the treble.

United face Marseille in the Champions League at Old Trafford on Tuesday, three days after Arsenal were dispatched in the FA Cup.

Victory would see United book a quarter-final place for the fifth successive season.

He said: "We are experienced enough to do what we are doing at the moment and that is taking each game as it comes. That's why the focus is on Marseille because we know it is going to be a hard game.

"It is nice to have a bit of apprehension about big ties, though. European games are always that way.

"It won't be any different tomorrow. We are playing a very experienced, powerful Marseille team. We will have to play well.

"I have watched them twice away from home against Monaco and against Rennes and they showed the qualities we will be up against.

"I thought Marseille were going for the 0-0 at home I must admit. Maybe they are the ones who are confident. They are a good team, who will try to hit us on the counter.

"In these games at Old Trafford and a home match in midweek it is always a terrific atmosphere. That does help us and hopefully we will get the result we want."

The victory against Arsenal came after successive defeats by Chelsea and Liverpool and sets up a derby semi-final against Manchester City.

Ferguson said: "This is always the question, you lose a game and it is how you recover. Saturday's performance brought that recovery.

"Tomorrow it is a different type of match. We need to get to a good level to win it."

On the prospect of meeting City, he added: "It is an incredible draw. It was a one-in-three chance.

"A lot of people thought, 'let's wait for the final'. But that is an insult to the other two teams. It is a derby semi now and it should be a fantastic game."

Nani and Michael Carrick have handed Ferguson a boost by returning to the squad. Nani was expected to be out until after the international break with a gashed leg but trained this morning, as did Carrick, who has been troubled with calf and groin injuries.

The central defender Nemanja Vidic missed the session as he needed treatment for a knock but is expected to feature, as is Antonio Valencia, who returned from an ankle injury at the weekend.

Ferguson said: "It was a fantastic bonus to get 35 minutes from Antonio on Saturday, considering he has been out for such a long time.

"That fact that Antonio is available is a great boost for us. Hopefully it does help us. The team needs to step up and perform to win the league."

Park Ji-sung (hamstring) and Johnny Evans (ankle) could also return at the weekend after injuries while there was a surprise appearance by Owen Hargreaves at Carrington.

Hargreaves only lasted 10 minutes against Wolves in November before going off with a hamstring injury – his first start since September 2008.

Ferguson said: "You never know, I might have him available by the end of the season."

Rio Ferdinand and Darren Fletcher remain among the other absentees but Ferguson is relaxed about the situation.

"It is an important time of course as we are involved in three tournaments," he said. "The key is to have everyone available. It would be nice to get that.

"It doesn't matter how many players have been injured in the past. The important thing is to have them all available for the run-in. If we do that it will definitely increase our chances of success."

Manchester United squad to face Marseille: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, O'Shea, Rafael, Smalling, Brown, Vidic, Evra, Fábio, Gibson, Nani, Scholes, Carrick, Obertan, Bébé, Giggs, Rooney, Berbatov, Hernández, Valencia.