Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he will be "slaughtered" if his severely weakened Manchester United side fail to beat Hull City tomorrow in a match that could have dire consequences for the three north-east clubs fighting relegation.

Ferguson is planning to make extensive changes to his starting line-up but insisted his conscience was clear and argued that the Premier League were partly to blame for scheduling the match three days before the Champions League final.

"Barcelona play on Saturday night and we have got our programme on Sunday," he pointed out. "England have had a team in the Champions League final for the last five years and it is not as if the Premier League are short of knowledge. They could easily have put the programme on Saturday. I still wouldn't have played my strongest team, but one or two more maybe would have played."

Although the absence of most of United's leading names would appear to work in Hull's favour, Phil Brown suggested it was the worst possible scenario. The manager would rather know who his players will be facing at the KC Stadium.

"I've had a stab [at predicting the United side], but it's needle in the haystack stuff," Brown said. "To know who the team is this season has been a strong point of ours. We've more or less second-guessed managers on a number of occasions. To not know who the team is could be a massive advantage to Manchester United. The more information I have the better. I dare say there will be a few surprises, but we'll prepare for that on Sunday."

Ferguson will field an experimental line-up including two teenagers, Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck, in attack and possibly a third, Ben Amos, in goal. The fit-again Wes Brown and Gary Neville are available to provide some experience in defence while Rio Ferdinand, recovering from a calf injury, may be risked, but Ferguson said he was entitled to rest the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo despite the potential implications for Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

"Our responsibility is to win the European Cup and everyone is aware of that. That's why we are talking about changes. But it is not a weak team. It is a strong team – a good team, a team with fantastic potential in some cases. I know that if we don't win on Sunday we will be slaughtered and it will be the 'worst thing that has happened in the British game' and people will talk about the integrity of the league. But it is a natural thing for us to use our squad."

The alternative, he argued, was that a player could be injured and United's strategy for taking on Barcelona in Rome on Wednesday would be ruined. "The players wouldn't forgive me if I played the strongest team on Sunday. They would say: 'What?' They would possibly be tiptoeing around, knowing they have a European final on the Wednesday. The rest of the league may think it's good but it could actually be the worst thing that could happen to them. Someone would get one of those 50-50 tackles and be somersaulted over their shoulder in the first tackle and, after that, they might say: 'Right, that's enough for me.' It would be the best thing that could happen to Hull."

Brown is not so certain, but has no complaints about Ferguson using the full depth of United's squad. "Whatever team comes out of their dressing room he will have categorically a reason for every one of them playing and it will be a valid ­reason," he said.

He acknowledged that talk about Ferguson's selections should not disguise the fact that Hull's fate is in the balance because of their own poor form over recent months. "It's not about this game, it is about the 37 before," Brown said.

Nonetheless Ferguson is mindful of the controversy on the final weekend of the 2006-07 season when he fielded a weakened side that lost 1-0 to West Ham, a result that contributed to Sheffield United being relegated and left their manager, Neil Warnock, fuming.

"I was contemplating ringing the three managers," Ferguson said, "but Ricky Sbragia has worked here and knows this club and knows what we will do. Alan Shearer and Gareth Southgate have played against us many times and know what it is like to play against Manchester United. They will know we will be doing our best. There has been all this speculation and conjecture and concern, but we have got a league that has the best integrity in the world and we will play our part in that. No matter which team I play it will represent Manchester United in our normal way. We are expected to win and we will go there to win, and that's the responsibility we always have."