Rio Ferdinand has warned Manchester United's title rivals that the Barclays Premier League champions could be about to embark on an unbeaten 20-match run after emerging from their toughest run of fixtures with the title still firmly in their sights and qualification for the Champions League knockout stages secured.

Despite having already faced the eight teams that finished directly below them last season away from home in the league this campaign, United are only six points adrift of Liverpool, the league leaders, and five behind Chelsea with a game in hand on both teams, while a place in the last 16 of the Champions League has been cemented with their final group E match, at home to Aalborg a week today, still to play.

Even accounting for the disruption likely to be caused by United's eight-day involvement in the Club World Cup in Japan this month, the champions face a winnable run of fixtures, starting against Blackburn Rovers in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup at Old Trafford this evening and continuing at home to struggling Sunderland in the league on Saturday, and Ferdinand is feeling confident.

United have taken 12 points from a possible 24 away to Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Portsmouth and Manchester City, with all eight of those teams facing trips to Old Trafford in the new year.

“We didn't [set the pace] last season and it didn't do us much harm, but we do need to start winning consistently and hopefully we'll hit some form now and go on a run of winning a lot of games,” the England defender said. “That would get us back up there and challenging. We know we can do that, so there's no need to panic.

“You'd love to be leading the league from day one, but it doesn't often happen like that. When you look around the changing-room and see the quality of players, I know we're good enough to win trophies.

“We're all still confident and believe we can go on a 10- or 20-game unbeaten run. Our aim now is to make sure we're within touching distance at Christmas so we can kick on next year and reel those teams in.”

Liverpool lead the table for the first time in December for seven years but Ferdinand believes it remains to be seen how the Merseyside club will handle the pressure of the title chase come the final months of the season, provided they are still in contention by then. “Experience is key when it comes to the title run-in, but sometimes not knowing what to expect can also be beneficial because you go into certain situations with no fear,” Ferdinand said. “Liverpool haven't challenged too seriously for the league for a long time but we won't know what effect that will have on them until the end of the season. That's if they're still there or thereabouts, of course.”

Ferdinand will be one of seven players who started in the 1-0 victory away to Manchester City on Sunday that will be absent against Blackburn, as Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, elects to give youth its chance again. Those missing include Cristiano Ronaldo, the newly crowned European Footballer of the Year, who is suspended.

Ben Foster is expected to start between the posts as the England international takes another step towards trying to usurp Edwin van der Sar as the club's first-choice goalkeeper. “I have got to take any chance that I am given,” Foster said. “I just have to get my head down and keep doing the same things in training. Then if my chance comes along, hopefully I will be ready to take it.

“It probably is harder when you only come in for one game every few weeks. When you don't know whether you are going to be playing, or even involved, it is hard to prepare.”

Ronaldo, meanwhile, has declared his desire to take his game to even greater heights. “I will awake and I will say to myself, 'I want to be even better,'” he said.