IF Blackburn Rovers plan to take anything off Manchester United then it's absolutely vital that they keep the lid on Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

Alex Ferguson's side are far from a one-man band. Everywhere you look, they've got star quality in every department.

But there's no doubt Van is their main man so much rests on the shoulders of Andy Todd and Co as Rovers go in search of their first victory at Old Trafford since 1960.

As far as I'm concerned, Van Nistelrooy is among the top three strikers in the Premiership, if not in Europe.

He's a fantastic player who scores goals for fun and it's going to require maximum concentration from every one in a blue and white shirt to stop him from adding to his already impressive tally tomorrow.

All he needs is a second to score a goal. Give him half a chance and he's more than likely to put the ball in the back of your net.

You can stop certain strikers from scoring by cutting off their service at its source but I don't think that applies in Van Nistelrooy's case because he's the type of guy who is more than capable of making goals for himself out of nothing.

Therefore, your only other option is to stick as tightly to him as possible by making sure you are on your toes at all times.

The fact that Paul Scholes and Ole Solskjaer are both missing is an added plus but United's squad is so strong that they will hardly feel their absence.

That said, Rovers must still go there believing they can get a positive result, otherwise they stand no chance at all.

Going to Old Trafford will be a new experience for some of the lads.

The likes of Brett Emerton, Steven Reid and Barry Ferguson have never played there before in the Premiership so my advice to them is soak up the atmosphere, enjoy it, but don't be intimidated by the names on United's team-sheet.

Yes, they're a great team and, yes, I think they are the team to beat once again in the race for the title.

But they are not the unbeatable force that some people would have you believe and if Rovers get in amongst them from the first whistle and defend with real discipline then they might just be capable of coming away with a point.