Ferdinand ruled out of Benfica clash

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand will miss the Champions League opener against Benfica on Wednesday.

Ferdinand injured his hamstring in the 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion and went on to miss the clashes against Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

But despite returning for the recent 5-0 win over Bolton Wanderers, the defender has been left out of the squad for the clash in Portugal, with Sir Alex Ferguson possibly having one eye on the match against Chelsea on Sunday.

Nemanja Vidic, Tom Cleverley, Rafael da Silva and Danny Welbeck all miss the encounter with injuries, but Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra will make the trip despite having sustained knocks in the 5-0 win at Bolton.

Manchester United squad: De Gea, Lindegaard; Evans, Evra, Fabio, Jones, Smalling; Anderson, Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs, Nani, Park, Valencia, Young; Berbatov, Hernandez, Owen, Rooney.

United lock horns with Benfica in their Group C opener in Lisbon on Wednesday, with the blockbuster tie against Chelsea to take place on Sunday.