Rooney will learn on Thursday whether his appeal against the suspension handed down for his dismissal in England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro in October has been successful, with the Football Association hopeful the punishment will be reduced.

The hearing is an unwanted distraction for United manager Ferguson, coming as it does just a day after his side face a crucial Champions League clash with Basle.

But with United still requiring a point from their final game against the Swiss champions to reach the last 16, and both Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez ruled out by injury, Ferguson expects Rooney to focus on club matters tomorrow night.

"I don't think that comes into it at all," said Ferguson when asked if the hearing was likely to affect Rooney's focus. "He has a game tomorrow. An important game."

Even in the worst of times Rooney managed to perform at Basle's St Jakob Park, emerging from distractions in his private life to score for England in a vital qualifier against Switzerland in September last year.

Of more significance to Ferguson is his side's impressive away record in Europe. Since losing the second leg of their semi-final against AC Milan in 2007, United have suffered just one defeat in 23 away matches - to Bayern Munich two seasons ago.

It is that form Ferguson will rely on as his side look to avoid a repeat of what befell them in their first encounter with Basle in September, when they threw away a two-goal lead and needed a last-gasp Ashley Young leveller to earn a 3-3 draw.

"There was obvious complacency in the game when it went 2-0," said Ferguson. "We showed a lack of discipline in the second half.

"Fortunately we managed to waken up late in the game to get a result which has maybe rescued us in this section."

United have been in this position before in recent times, and indeed crashed out in the group stage in 2005.

At the time, it appeared the end of Ferguson's trophy-ladened era, but the Scot bounced back by guiding the club to victory in the competition in 2008, in addition to two runners-up finishes, one semi-final and a quarter-final in the years since.

But Ferguson does not draw any comparisons with the poor European campaign of 2005/06 and the present one.

"The side that played then was a very young team that suffered with a lot of injuries," he said. "That period was disappointing. But it is six years ago. Our record since then has been outstanding."

In confirming Hernandez will be out of action for "a maximum of five weeks, a minimum of three" with the ankle injury he sustained at Aston Villa on Saturday, Ferguson gave little away about his starting line-up.

However, he retains confidence in his players, saying: "People say we are not doing well but we are second in the league and we are at a stage where we could be qualifying for the next phase of the Champions League.

"The pressure won't affect us. Look at the number of big games these players play in. Every year for the last few years they have been involved in finals and semi-finals and quarter-finals and big games in the Premier League. Tomorrow is exactly the same situation.

"It is another big game, but we have a strong squad and that squad will see us through without question."