WIN OR BUST FOR BARCA

Leeds, beaten 4-0 at Camp Nou in the opening Group H game, now top the table and know that revenge for that demolition will see them reach the lucrative second stage, and send Barca crashing from the competition.

However, the Spanish giants go into the game on the back of a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Real Madrid on Saturday, and in good goalscoring form after the 3-3 draw with AC Milan last Wednesday.

The injury-hit Premiership outfit will be happy to see the return of Eirik Bakke, Ian Harte and Danny Mills after the trio missed Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United, and Olivier Dacourt also comes back into the side after hamstring problems.

Manager David O'Leary, though, has fitness tests on in-form pair Alan Smith and Lee Bowyer after the picked up knocks at Old Trafford, and Nigel Martyn is still on the sidelines with Jason Wilcox, Harry Kewell, Michael Bridges and Lucas Radebe, who is unlikely to play after concussion.

Barca also have injury worries, with Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Kluivert, Boudewijn Zenden and Josep Guardiola all out.

However, with Rivaldo appearing to be on top form having scored a hat-trick in Milan, Barca must be confident of breaking down the depleted Leeds side, especially if the Brazilian and Luis Enrique can continue their impressive scoring records against English sides.

Looking back to the 4-0 defeat in Camp Nou, O'Leary has predicted a more competitive game this time, saying : "I don't believe anybody really thought we could get a result without seven first team players.

"When we went to Barcelona it was a mismatch. They must have looked at my team sheet that day and thought 'we're in trouble if we can't beat this side'.

"Although we were outclassed we still went there and did our best and that is exactly what we will do against one of the biggest, and richest, clubs in the world.

"But what we've had to go through is no way to prepare for a match like this, and I still haven't got a clue who will play until after the fitness tests.

"So if we were to win it would be an unbelievable achievement for this club and the players. But we're certainly going in with plenty of hope. I'll put whatever side I can out and we will try and do our best and try to knock them out of the Champions League.

"If we do get out of this group, with all the players we've had missing and with the mismatches we've faced against the other teams, then it will be like winning the competition.

"With a bit of luck, and you need that, then you never know. We've got seven points since then, three points ahead of Barcelona.

"What have we got to lose, because at the end of the day Uefa and everybody around the world thought Barcelona and AC Milan would be the two to go through, the two biggest named clubs in the world.

"But just like we did in the League last year by finishing third, we're going to try and mess the system up."

The pressure has been mounting on Barca coach Llorenc Serra Ferrer, and there have been claims that he could even be sacked if the club do not qualify for the second stage, which he has called a problem.

"We will have to be calm," he said. "We will have to play with intelligence and character, just as we have shown in the last few games.

"We all know the importance of this game. We realise that