Lisbon: Manchester United will test their impressive domestic form in the Champions League on Wednesday when they travel to Benfica.

After four straight Premier League wins using a mix of younger players, United manager Alex Ferguson said he may turn to his more seasoned stars for the opening Group C game in Portugal. Ferguson is set to recall Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick to bulk up his midfield, which he expects to be the key battleground in what should be United’s toughest group match.

“My team in Lisbon might be different on an issue of experience,” Ferguson said. “I think we'll need to have more experience in the game. Benfica away from home is the kind of the game you have to respect. ... Benfica are always a handful and we always expect a difficult game. I watched a couple of their games away from home last season and they were absolutely brilliant.”

United lead the Premier League on goal difference after scoring 18 goals and conceding only three. Striker Wayne Rooney score a second straight hat trick in United’s 5-0 victory at Bolton on Saturday.

Midfielder Tom Cleverley sustained a foot injury in that game and will be out for a month. England defender Rio Ferdinand, who has struggled with a series of injury problems, also missed the trip to Lisbon. Captain Nemanja Vidic (calf), striker Danny Welbeck (hamstring) and Rafael (shoulder) are also out, but defenders Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra are fit again after minor knocks.

Rooney should again be partnered up front by Mexico striker Javier Hernandez, who marked his first start of the season Saturday with two goals at the Reebok Stadium. The pair meshed well last season in United’s march to the Champions League final, where they lost to Barcelona 3-1 at Wembley Stadium.

Benfica are at full strength for the encounter at the Stadium of Light. The Portuguese club are in second place in the league after signing a raft of new players. They include striker Nolito from Barcelona, Brazilian midfielder Bruno Cesar from Corinthians, and Argentine defender Ezequiel Garay from Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s quality and experience should ensure the big-spending English club feel right at home among Europe’s finest this season.

City were placed in arguably the toughest group with four-time champion Bayern Munich, Spanish team Villarreal and Italian side Napoli, but few would be surprised if the club finish in the top two and advances. With a perfect four wins in the Premier League and boasting a squad crammed with top internationals following owner Sheikh Mansour’s investment of more than $1 billion on players since his 2008 takeover, City could shake up the established order in their first season in Europe’s elite competition since 1968.

“We’re in the competition sooner than I thought,” said City manager Roberto Mancini, whose team begin with a home match against Napoli. “However, the club have made good investments, bought good players. We deserve to be where we are. It’s an exciting competition and I understand why people are getting excited. Our target is to improve all the time and to arrive at the top and win the Champions League in the future.”

Bayern, who visit Villarreal, are the top seeded team in the group, the early leaders of the Bundesliga on goal difference after five matches and are the fourth most successful club in European Cup-Champions League history, behind Real Madrid, AC Milan and Liverpool.

However, all the hype in the group this season is sure to be around City, which has adapted quickly to Mancini’s newfound attacking philosophy and scored 15 goals in the Premier League so far. New signing Sergio Aguero has scored six of them and with Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko, David Silva and Samir Nasri also part of an expensively assembled forward line, City have been relentless in attack.

Real Madrid will begin their quest for a 10th title without Kaka and coach Jose Mourinho against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday in the Spanish club's opening group stage match. Kaka will not make the trip to Zagreb because of a reported heel injury, while Mourinho serves the second of a three-match ban resulting from an outburst during the ill-tempered semifinal series against Barcelona last season. (agencies)