English football hacks may have to wait. The English football media, seemingly keen to see Lazio lose their Champions League, second phase clash with Leeds United at the Olympic Stadium in Rome tonight, may be disappointed.

The Anglo-Saxon reasoning is that, should Lazio lose tonight, then Eriksson would be shown the door by the Roman club thus freeing him sooner rather than later to take up his England duties. That may not happen.

At his pre-match press conference yesterday, Sven Eriksson had difficulty keeping the attention of his English interlocutors firmly focused on the Champions League. Whilst he was keen to point out that tonight's game "is the most important of the season so far for us", the Anglo-Saxons in the press gallery seemed more concerned about the game's implications for his future employers, the English FA. Would the FA not be glad to see him lose tonight, asked one English reporter?

"The English FA should, of course, hope that Leeds win, but not for the reasons that you mean. The FA should hope for Leeds to win because they are an English club", replied the future England manager with an answer that says much about both his instinctive intelligence and native tact.

The inevitable interest in Eriksson's England future should not distract attention from a game that could well see the loser take a major step towards elimination from the Champions League.

Understandably, the Italian media at Formello yesterday were more concerned about matters pertinent to tonight's contest, such as the match-fitness of Argentine Sebastian Veron, Yugoslav Sinisa Mihajlovic and goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi. The first mentioned, despite a four-week old hairline fracture in his left shin, is expected to play whilst the latter two are almost certainly out of tonight's game.

As for Leeds, whilst they will be without cup-tied recent signing Rio Ferdinand, they may be boosted by the presence of talented Australian Harry Kewell, who returned to competitive soccer in the second half of Leed's 3-1 defeat by Leicester City on Saturday.

Despite such indifferent recent form, Leeds manager David O'Leary was yesterday sounding optimistic: "This game will clearly be a big challenge for us. Against Real Madrid, we were without too many first choice players and it showed but I will have a much better team against Lazio".

Lazio (probable): Marchegiani; Pancaro, Nesta, Couto, Favalli; Lombardo, Simeone, Veron, Nedved; Crespo, Salas.

Leeds (probable): Robinson; Kelly, Harte, Radebe, Woodgate; Wilcox, Bowyer, Bakke, Dacourt; Smith, Viduka.