AC Milan v Leeds United, Weds 1945 GMT

	It must be cold: Woodgate after training in Italy (RossKinnaird/Allsport)

For those fans, it is very much David O'Leary's team who have brought a new dimension to the club and already stirred thoughts of the Don Revie era.

Yet, as Leeds manager O'Leary returned once again to the country where he made his managerial debut, the pupil was surely tempted to go back to his teacher's defensive textbook.

Forget all the talk of offers from Barcelona or Milan's lack of desire to win, this game in the San Siro is all about Leeds and how they respond to the situation, as O'Leary emphatically reiterated.

'It's great for us to be coming to a place like this, knowing that we can go through,' he said. 'It would be really nice for us to come off the pitch with both of us qualifying.

'But football isn't a fairy-tale. We were 30 seconds away from coming here already through to the next round. That was snatched away from us against Barcelona and that was the biggest disappointment of all my time in football.'

For O'Leary, there is a sense of returning to familiar Italian ground. As a player, this was a country in which something special bubbled to the top for the Irish defender.

Part of the Arsenal team which beat mighty Juventus 1-0 in Turin to reach the European Cup-Winners' Cup Final in 1980, O'Leary also famously scored the penalty which knocked Romania out of Italia 90 and put the Republic of Ireland into the World Cup quarter-final.

These days, taking on Italian coaches adds an extra glint to his eye, and the victories he has recorded in the past two seasons over Fabio Capello, Nevio Scala and Alberto Zaccheroni have been milestones in his personal journey.

Barely two years ago, as O'Leary delivered his first managerial team-talk in Rome's Stadio Olimpico, he realised it could be his last.

Ninety minutes later, despite a 1-0 defeat for Leeds at the hands of Roma, the manner of his bearing, his bravery in selecting youngsters like Stephen McPhail and Harry Kewell and the acclaim which greeted him from the travelling supporters altered the course of Elland Road history.

This time, however noble the effort, defeat will not be good enough. Leeds need a draw to eliminate Barcelona and, if there was one Elland Road manager whose mantra was based on giving nothing away, it was O'Leary's predecessor, Graham.

But while O'Leary and his assistant Eddie Gray have transformed the image of Leeds from Graham's dour side to the attack-minded team of today, those who were part of the changeover still see the Scot's influence in what his successor has achieved.

Both David Hopkin and Alfie Haaland were on duty in Rome, seeing O'Leary the manager for the first time.

Hopkin, now at Bradford, recalled: 'David wanted to make sure the younger guys didn't freeze but he had confidence in them because of the way they'd been groomed when George was in charge.

'The principles had been instilled by George, the work ethic that you see every time they play. It meant they had a defensive discipline and David and Eddie Gray have just added the attacking side to that.'

Haaland added: 'David has changed a lot since then. He still likes to pretend he's naive - but he really was that night. There were no expectations, and with all the talk of Martin O'Neill coming in to replace George, he didn't even know if he'd have a job by the end of the week.

'But he showed leadership and I'm sure it will be the same against Milan. This time I don't think he'll treat the game in the same way. Leeds are so close and even David might be a bit nervous. This time I'm sure he'll want a George Graham performance.'

No English club has ever won at the San Siro, where Milan have scored in their last 23 home European games going back to 1993 and O'Leary is not hewn from the same rock as Graham.

He added: 'I don't believe we can come here and think about drawing - we've not been brought up that way. I believe that to come to a stadium like this and try to dig a trench on the edge of your own box for 90 minutes is asking for trouble. You've got to be positive.'

Milan coach Zaccheroni, responding to questions over his side's integrity, will field a stronger team than expected. Skipper Paolo Maldini and Demetrio Albertini will play, with Croatia playmaker Zvonimir Boban behind Andriy Shevchenko and Oliver Bierhoff.

Zaccheroni pledged: 'We're going to take this match seriously - because we're AC Milan and we have a responsibility to our fans and to the game of football.'

The right words, and whatever Milan's motivation, the presence of the Ukrainian up front will put the onus on Lucas Radebe and Jon Woodgate to remain utterly concentrated at the back.

Yet, Leeds have demonstrated while enjoying their first taste of the Champions League that they have remarkable powers of strength and fortitude.

The cup of success is at their lips. It requires just one more controlled display to allow them to drink from it. O'Leary's message in the San Siro can ensure he shares the taste with them.

MILAN (probable, 3-4-1-2): Dida; Roque Junior, Chamot, Maldini; Gattuso, Albertini, Giunti, Serginho; Boban; Shevchenko, Bierhoff.

LEEDS (probable, 4-4-2): Robinson; Kelly, Woodgate, Radebe, Harte; Bowyer, Bakke, Dacourt, Matteo; Smith, Viduka.