No side has successfully defended the European Cup since it was rebranded in 1992.

Manchester United are the latest club to try and, with one foot already in the knock-out phase, will look to seal top spot in Group E by beating Villarreal at El Madrigal on Tuesday night.

Evra is not worried about the burden of being title holders but does feel United must not just talk a good game. They have to actually achieve it.

"I don't feel more pressure but I feel more responsibility," said the France defender. "When you play for Manchester United it is easy to win the trophy. To keep it is more difficult.

"You can do as many interviews as you want and say you want to keep it but it is much harder than that.

"Every day you must work harder. You need to be careful outside the pitch.

"Of course, everybody wants to beat you. We have the squad to overcome that. But you need to fight within yourself more than last year to win the Champions League again."

Evra is one of United's key men, although Sir Alex Ferguson does have problems up front with record signing Dimitar Berbatov sidelined by a hamstring injury.

It means Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney partner each other, as they did so successfully last term.

However, having faced Aston Villa it is asking a lot for the pair to be fully fresh and ready for battle against one of Spain's highest-ranked sides.

They may be overshadowed by the traditional powerhouses of Barcelona and Real Madrid and even the capital's second team, Atletico, but Villarreal have been competing at the top table in Europe for quite a while now.

And, as their current status of second in La Liga testifies, they are just as effective this term.

"This is a very important game but a very difficult one," said Evra. "Villarreal are a good team, the fact they are so high in the table shows that.

"It is not easy to go to Spain at the best of times and Villarreal are a team that plays good football."

The Yellow Submarines have encountered United three times in four seasons and the ball has yet to hit the net, which is a strange statistic in itself.

A goalless meeting at Old Trafford on matchday one means a scoring draw would be enough for United to top the group on head-to-head record.

As United entertain Aalborg in the final game while Villarreal visit Celtic, it should be enough for Ferguson's side, although Evra is taking nothing for granted.

"It was an open game at Old Trafford," recalled Evra. "They hit the post but so did we, so both teams might claim they should have won.

"The point is we need to win the group, like we did last year because it sets you up for the rest of the competition."