Monday 29th April 2002.
Onefootball.com

Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov fears that Manchester United could break Bayer Leverkusen hearts in the Champions' League semi-final second-leg at the BayArena.

Leverkusen have reached the last four at the expense of two English sides, Arsenal and Liverpool, and go into Tuesday's match against United in a strong position after securing a deserved 2-2 draw at Old Trafford last week.

But, despite their success against English clubs this season, Berbatov insists that Leverkusen still have a mountain to climb if they are seal their place in the final at Hampden Park.

"Manchester United are Red Devils and they could easily shatter our dreams," he told onefootball.com. "We're so close to heaven, but we also know that United could turn it into hell."

The 21-year-old played as a lone striker in the first leg, but received plenty of support from midfielders Michael Ballack, Yildiray Basturk and Ze Roberto as the visitors dominated the English champions for long periods.

The lanky frontman should keep his place in the side on Tuesday, although this time he is likely to have the support of a second striker. But whichever formation Leverkusen boss Klaus Toppmoller chooses to play, Berbatov has faith it will be the correct one.

"So far, the tactics that Toppmoller has used have been spot on," he claimed. "The performance at Old Trafford was one of our best of the season, but we will have to reproduce that to go through.

"United are probably the best team in Europe. They have some tremendous players like Roy Keane, Juan Veron, Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Beckham, and they'll do everything to try to beat us. But I'm confident that we will be ready," he added.

Berbatov, who is regarded in his homeland as the most exciting prospect since Hristo Stoichkov, was recently described by Toppmoller as "one of the most talented 21-year-olds in the world".

But he admitted that it has not been a totally smooth journey since he sealed a move to the BayArena from CSKA Sofia in January 2001. "I didn't enjoy it much under Berti Vogts," said the Bulgaria international.

"He had some strange ideas about how to play the game, and the team struggled a bit when he was here. From a personal point of view, it was tough because I was sent to play for the amateur team."

The arrival of Toppmoller last summer signified a change in fortunes for Berbatov - as it did for many Leverkusen players.

The former Saarbrucken boss was initially concerned that Berbatov did not have the mental or physical strength to establish himself in the Bundesliga. Toppmoller accused him of drifting out of games and letting his head drop too easily.

But, instead of casting the dismayed youngster to one side, the coach put him on a rigorous training programme to improve his strength and stamina and then, after the winter break, offered him a chance to play as a lone striker.

It seemed a strange decision at the time, but the Bulgarian - no longer able to rely on his fellow forwards to lead the line - was forced to keep his effort up for the whole 90 minutes.

Berbatov seemed to relish the extra responsibility and has since become a vital cog in the Leverkusen wheel. But he ackowledged that it might not have been possible had Toppmoller not taken him under his wing.

"Toppmoller was, of course, one of the Bundesliga's greatest goalscorers, so he knows a lot about playing as a striker," he explained.

"I've learned so much from him and much of my improvement in the past 12 months is down to him. He has shown me some new skills and he knows how to get the best out of a player. But that is obvious when you look at the way we have played this year."

Berbatov's miscued header in the first half at Old Trafford last week could yet prove costly for Leverkusen, but he believes that taking criticism for missing chances is part of a striker's make up.

Indeed, the CSKA supporters remember Berbatov not for the hatful of goals that he scored for the club - almost 40 in two years - but for two gilt-edged misses.

The first came in a derby against Levski in May 2000 and the second five months later when he squandered an opportunity to send CSKA into the second round of the Uefa Cup against MTK Budapest.

On both occasions, Berbatov, then only a teenager, openly cried on the pitch. But today he merely shrugs his shoulders and insists: "It is experiences like these that makes a player stronger."

Whatever happens in the remainder of the season, Berbatov will have many more highs to look back on than he will lows. But he has no doubt what the highlight has been so far.

"When I was at CSKA, everyone talked about the day when Stoicho Mladenov scored two goals to eliminate Liverpool from the European Cup in 1982," he said.

"I never imagined that one day I would be the one scoring a goal to knock Liverpool out. I could hardly believe it when I shot and the ball went past Jerzy Dudek. It was an incredible night.

"The whole team played well and deserved to go through against one of the best teams in Europe," added Berbatov.

Leverkusen surrendered the initiative in the title race to Borussia Dortmund after unexpectedly losing to Nuremberg on Saturday. But they are still in the German Cup and the Champions' League and Berbatov is refusing to contemplate the prospect of finishing the season empty-handed.

"No one expects us to win the treble," he insisted. "Everyone at the club is talking about the German title and that would be great. I know that we won the Uefa Cup in 1998 and I've seen pictures of the celebrations.

"It looks great and I would love to experience something similar. I think we have a squad capable of winning trophies, but only time will tell if that happens this season or not."

Copyright: www.onefootball.com, 2002.