Fergie: Draw has been lucky

Sir Alex Ferguson admits he is thankful Manchester United have not been drawn in as difficult a Champions League group as Manchester City.

United start their quest for a fourth final appearance in five seasons on Wednesday with a trip to Benfica, and also face Basel and Otelul Gulati in Group C.

In contrast, derby foes City will be making their Champions League debut and have been drawn alongside Bayern Munich, Villarreal and Napoli.

Ferguson accepts United have been lucky with their draw and does not envy his City counterpart Roberto Mancini's task in the group phase.

"I think we've been very lucky in the draw because you can sometimes get a really difficult group – not just against good teams but involving travel too," said Ferguson.