United suffered their first league defeat since August as Bolton snatched a shock 1-0 win over the English champions on Saturday.

It was a chastening day for United as they were knocked out of their stride by Bolton's aggressive approach.

It so infuriated United manager Alex Ferguson that he ended up being sent to the stands, after a half-time rant at referee Mark Clattenburg.

His tirade distracted attention from a lethargic performance.

With Wayne Rooney out with an ankle injury and Cristiano Ronaldo rested to protect him from a thigh strain, United lacked their usual verve.

Sporting's visit offers a chance for immediate redemption.

Victory will guarantee the English champions a top finish in Group F.

Giggs is confident the bitter memory of that Bolton defeat should provide the perfect motivation.

'We have to move on now. We have a game on Tuesday and we have to go out and perform,' he said.

'We need to get back on track as soon as possible. We've done it before and we have to do it again.'

United's 100 per cent record in Europe this season has already clinched them a place in the last 16.

The last time United lost in the league, they embarked on a five-match winning run, and Ferguson has no doubts his squad will give the right response again.

It is a frightening prospect for Sporting, who were beaten 0-1 by United at the Jose Alvalade Stadium in September.

Ferguson hopes to welcome back Ronaldo and Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic, who missed the Bolton game with a back injury while on international duty.

Sporting have to throw caution to the wind at Old Trafford, after conceding a last-minute equaliser at home to Roma in their last match.

A loss in Manchester, coupled with Roma avoiding defeat by Dynamo Kiev, would eliminate Paulo Bento's side.

That is a bleak prospect for a club who are already seven points behind Portuguese league leaders Porto, after being held to a 1-1 draw at Leixoes on Saturday.

Their hopes of inflicting United's first European defeat of the campaign rest largely on highly-rated midfielder Miguel Veloso, whom the English club are keen on signing.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Man United v Sporting Lisbon
Live, Ch23, tomorrow, 3.30am