Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti believes Tuesday’s Champions League second-leg tie with Manchester United could be settled late in the game.

Milan lead 1-0 lead from the first-leg at Old Trafford thanks to a goal 12 minutes from the end by Argentine Hernan Crespo.

“We have been finding it harder work in attack recently, tougher than in other stages of the season,” Ancelott isaid.

“I don’t think either side will create a lot of chances and we certainly need to start playing with more speed in the final stages,” he added.

“But you need to remember that we have been creating a lot of opportunities in the latter stages of games.

“That shows that even if we are less lucid towards the end, we play with more vehemence while the opposition lose their rhythm,” said Ancelotti.

In the absence of the the injured Andrii Shevchenko, Ancelotti can call on Filippo Inzaghi, although the Italian international is still lacking match fitness after a prolonged spell on the sidelines.

“Remember though that he has trained very little. He had quarter of an hour at Bergamo where he showed he can come on and get into the game. He can’t play a full 90 minutes yet however,” said Ancelotti.

The Milan coach believes that the pressure will be on United after their challenge for the Premier League title took a setback with Saturday’s 0-0 draw with struggling Crystal Palace .

“They have put a lot of focus on this competition. That can be a positive thing but it can also be negative because their entire season depends on it,” he said.

“We have to go into this game with the right spirit and conviction. It is a big game and important for our season and I know we can repeat our good performance from the first leg.

“We haven’t to think about the result from the first match. All we need to think about in relation to that game is repeating what we were able to do in Manchester.”