Shuffling his pack: Sir Alex Ferguson opted for an unfamiliar Manchester United side

That is also Capello’s fear but his hopes of having Rooney available for one group match rest on convincing UEFA officials that the incident with Dzudovic did not constitute ‘assault’, which is how it was described in last week’s ruling.

UEFA rules specifically provide for a ‘suspension for three competition matches or for a specified period for assaulting another player’.

The FA have three days to decide whether to appeal once they have received UEFA’s written reasons for the ban, which are expected to arrive early next week.

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