I’m sure they will be excited at the prospect of playing at Anfield on Saturday.

Manchester United fans they meet in the city will be urging them to bury Liverpool on Saturday, the red half of the city will be buzzing as the clock ticks down to English football’s biggest clash.

Much has been made of how young Alex Ferguson’s team is this season and some of the football displayed by United has been breathtaking.

But the clash with Liverpool at Anfield will give us a clue as to how ready the youngsters are to play big-time football.

Kenny Dalglish’s Reds are a much improved team from the last couple of years and they are in confident mood after a Merseyside derby triumph.

In Luis Suarez they have a matchwinner and captain Steven Gerrard is chomping at the bit after a long injury lay-off.

With Anfield ready to rouse their heroes for battle, United must stand tall.

Especially when they will be buffeted by an outpouring of hatred for much of the game.

The atmosphere will be unlike anywhere else, it always is for this match and for that reason alone, Ferguson may choose to protect his young stars and opt for his battle-scarred veterans.

I hope not, because this is the kind of test the youngsters need to pass if they are truly players with special potential.

If the likes of Jones, Anderson, Wellbeck, De Gea, and even Nani and Ashley Young, block out all the fuss from the terraces and concentrate on their football, United could well quieten the majority of Anfield by coming away with a win.

It has been some time since United have won at Anfield.

United’s biggest star Wayne Rooney will know he will be mercilessly harangued by the crowd for his red card last week with England.

If he and the other United youngsters keep their cool, then it could be a truly special day out at Anfield for them.

Dan Carter at the press conference in which he announced he would have no further part to play in the Rugby World Cup. AP photo.

Neutrals will always want to see the best players play at any World Cup, whether it be Argentina’s football superstar Lionel Messi, India’s cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar or the All Blacks’ flyhalf Dan Carter.

Just as the 2011 Rugby World Cup was gearing up for the quarter-finals came the news out of the New Zealand camp that the world’s best No 10 would play no further part in the tournament after Carter sustained a groin injury practising his kicks on Saturday.

It is a huge blow for the Kiwis, and the tournament.

I wonder how Colin Slade feels right now.

If the All Blacks’ new No 10 embraces all the attention and focus that will surely accompany his every move from now on, then the Kiwis can remain confident their favourites will go on and lift the William Webb Ellis trophy for only the second time since the inaugural tournament in 1987, also on home soil.

If Slade is uncomfortable and testy, then New Zealand could find the going tricky.

Even without Carter there is still so much to admire about the All Blacks, although skipper Richie McCaw’s fitness will now be even more crucial.

They bristle with power and have pace to burn.

Kieran Read is fit again and along with Jerome Kaino and McCaw, the All Blacks can now unleash a fearsome trio of loose forwards at the business end of the World Cup.

They have match-winning talent like Sonny Bill Williams on the bench.

The key to World Cup victory for New Zealand has always been confidence.

The news over Carter would have hit the squad hard.

They have to be over it by the time they face Argentina.

Because the big test will come in the semi-final, against southern hemisphere rivals South Africa or Australia.

Ironically, I feel that will be the biggest game for the All Blacks.

They are just too good for Argentina.

They will be far too strong for any of the northern hemisphere teams they will meet in the final — it should be either Ireland, England or France.

The Springboks and Wallabies know the All Blacks inside out.

Slade must puck up confidence against the Argies on Sunday, and be fearless in the semi-final.

That must be the All Blacks’ mantra.

Be fearless, play as only they can, and they will make their fallen comrade Carter world champion.

If the likes of Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button live up to their word, then Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull is about to face a fight to the finish battling Ferrari and the two McLaren cars in Formula 1’s only night race — the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix.

The excitement in the build-up to the Singapore Grand Prix will never match the intensity levels ahead of the inaugural race in 2008.

But there is now a genuine buzz in the country and a huge chunk of the sports world will have the Lion City on their radar this weekend.

I have covered each Formula 1 race here and at every Grand Prix after 2008, the numerous international faces in the media centre — the facility is one of the best in the motor-racing world — have become more and more familiar.

Over the last few days, a number of the them have asked me about the fate of the permanent track in Changi.

I tell them that right now, the Changi Motorsports Hub project is stalled.

They are all disappointed, because they believe the success of Singapore’s Formula 1 race is an indication the country will be able to turn the permanent track into a winner.

SG Changi is trying to raise finance to restart the project and I believe the Government remains committed.

We will know soon the fate of the permanent track, I hope it will be good news.

Even if there is going to be a significant delay, the country should feature such a facility.

Singapore already holds one of the best races in Formula 1, the ultimate car race in the world.

Singapore should also hold the top motorcycle race in the world — the Moto GP.

Tickets for this year’s Formula 1 race along Marina Bay have all sold out and I’m sure the petrol heads will flock to Changi to catch the likes of Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner do battle on two wheels.

With a permanent track, other international motorsports events could also pepper Singapore’s annual racing calendar, helping generate a unique buzz here.

Motor-racing has many critics, it requires a huge investment to even have a chance of success, some members of the public deem tickets for races are too expensive.

But if Singapore’s goal is to become a modern-day international city, a permanent track will help put it on the map.

They have won five out of five in the Premiership, scored 21 goals and blitzed two of their traditional rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea, along the way.

This is United’s best run since the 1985-86 season when they won their first 10 league matches under Ron Atkinson.

If United fans are struggling to keep their feet on the ground right now, if they need reminding no trophies are handed out in September, then they should revisit that campaign 25 years ago, when the team eventually finished fourth and Liverpool claimed the title.

It heralded Atkinson’s departure and Ferguson’s appointment, and as they say, the rest is history.

But the collapse 25 years ago was epic, and a harrowing experience for the Red Army all over the world.

When “Captain Marvel” Bryan Robson’s shoulder came out of its socket after he crashed into an advertising board, so went any hope United had of winning the championship for the first time since 1967.

Form, injuries and exhaustion are all decisive factors in any title race, and United’s manager Alex Ferguson will obviously know this so he won’t be getting carried away.

Wayne Rooney looked fatigued against Chelsea after his exertions in the Champions League midweek at Benfica, having also played for England in recent weeks.

With Champions League commitments over the new few weeks, Ferguson’s ability to juggle his squad will once again be crucial, as he strives to keep his starting XI fresh and eager.

At least United have got the Scot in their corner, with all his experience Ferguson is best suited to guiding the young stars in his new-look team when they inevitably hit a rough patch.

I think the time for United fans to really get excited will be if they match the feat of Atkinson’s team and go on and win their next five league encounters.

That would mean they would have beaten Liverpool at Anfield and Manchester City at Old Trafford.

By then, they would have almost certainly also secured passage into the next round of the Champions League.

With a run of games against lesser lights in the Premiership due after that, the Red Devils can gorge themselves on the points available, and set themselves up perfectly for the busy Christmas period.

Even then, they will have to contemplate away fixtures at Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and City, plus a blood-and-thunder contest with Liverpool at Old Trafford in the first half of next year.

There are signs this could be a special season for United, but right now, the likes of City and Chelsea are far from out of it.

Even Tottenham and Liverpool remain in the hunt.

It’s still early days, even if United are playing like champions.

High-stepping, arms pumping, the 25-year-old charged for the line, dipping for the finish powerfully.

Rarely does Bolt pull out the stops towards the end of a race, but after his disqualification in the 100m, I got the sense he wanted to end on a special note, and the time of 37.04sec frozen on the board trackside was indeed magical.

The Americans reaffirmed their strength in track and field by finishing at the top of the world championship standings with 12 gold medals, and 25 in total.

Kenya, traditionally always powerful in the middle and long distances, were even better in Korea and finished with seven golds to lie third in the standings, behind the Americans and the Russians (9 golds).

The best performing Asian country was China. The 2008 Olympic hosts ended up in 7th spot, with one gold, two silver and one bronze medal.

It was a sorry show by the countries from the biggest continent in the world.

By now, I would have expected China to have produced more athletes capable of winning gold in track and field.

Li Yanfeng was first in the women’s discus in Daegu, and Liu Xiang may well have turned silver to gold in the men’s 100m hurdles if not for his brush with Cuban star Dayron Robles.

It is strange, though, that the Chinese pipeline which once produced a clutch of world-class middle and long distance female runners has dried up.

And the success of Liu Xiang over the years has not inspired youngsters to follow in his footsteps and strive to pursue gold in sprinting.

At its best a track and field competition is electrifying.

The athletics programme is the highlight at any Olympic Games, drawing the most attention, and the men’s 100m event remains the hottest ticket.

Running, jumping and throwing events go right back to the first Olympics in 776BC in Greece.

After centuries, Asia is still struggling to catch up with some of the most basic disciplines in sport.

Out of 41 nations that medalled in the 2011 World Championship, only four were from Asia.

Japan, in joint-11th, finished with one gold.

Kazakhstan had one silver and Iran one bronze.

That was it.

Amazingly, hosts South Korea finished empty-handed.

Looking at the young talent on show in Daegu, the prospects for Asia over the next few years is also bleak.

It is time for Asian nations to overhaul their athletics programme and start producing youngsters with the potential to go on and become world-beaters in track and field.

More money, better coaches and complete dedication is required, if the world’s most populous continent, and the biggest, want to stop being embarrassed in track and field’s biggest competitions.

By the time the 2015 world championship rolls around in Beijing, after Moscow 2013, I hope Asian nations figure prominently on the medal standings.

I look forward to seeing at least a sprinkling of champions from around Asia for the young boys and girls in their respective countries to look up to, and try to follow the example.