Rio Ferdinand will face Manchester City in the Carling Cup after
denying a charge of violent conduct.
Ferdinand had until 6pm on Wednesday evening to respond to
the Football Association but has got his plea in early, confirming
that he will be in Sir Alex Ferguson's United line-up for the
semi-final decider at Old Trafford.
The 31-year-old will now face a disciplinary hearing on
Thursday.
The move is a calculated risk because if the FA disciplinary
panel decide the appeal is "frivolous", they have the power to
impose a greater sanction than the normal three-match suspension
for such incidents.
Any more than four and it would put Ferdinand's appearance in
the Carling Cup final against Aston Villa at risk should United
overcome a 2-1 deficit and knock City out this evening.
Ferdinand caught striker Craig Fagan in the face with his arm
during the second-half of United's 4-0 victory over Hull City on
Saturday.
As the ball was not even in the penalty area at the time and
referee Steve Bennett did not see the incident, Ferdinand's only
defence could be that he acted instinctively in response to foul
play from Fagan.
It will be down to Ferdinand to prove that, but if he fails,
he will miss the Premier League encounters with Arsenal on Sunday,
plus Portsmouth on February 6 and Aston Villa on February 10.
Any further punishment would be at the disciplinary panel's
discretion and although it tends to be just an additional match, as
was the case with Sunderland's Michael Turner following his appeal
against the red card he received at Manchester City last month,
their powers are limitless.
The fact United have taken this decision is an indication of
how seriously Ferguson is taking tonight's encounter.
He now has the option of deploying Ferdinand in central
defence alongside Jonny Evans and using the extra experience of Wes
Brown at right-back to confront Craig Bellamy.
The Welshman's success against Rafael Da Silva last week was
a key factor in City's victory and Ferguson will not want Bellamy
to enjoy similar success, meaning Brown could play in the position
he filled for the Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow
two years ago.
