Anyone who visited Belgium for Euro 2000 would be well versed with the reserved nature of the nation's football fans, but after Leeds arrived in the capital yesterday it quickly became apparent that something has stirred since then.

Anderlecht's Stade Constant Vanden Stock has become something of a fortress, and their Champions League exploits have so captured the country's attention this tie was deemed worthy of the main headline on last night's national news.

"Leeds may be courageous travellers," La Gazette des Sports said yesterday, "but their hosts no longer fear anyone."

The permutations are endless but the one most prominent in David O'Leary's mind is that a win for his team coupled with anything less than victory for Lazio against visiting Real Madrid will see the Yorkshire club qualify.

Any other scenario, with Leeds's next game against Real at the Bernabeu, the likelihood is that their fate will not be decided until their final match in Group D, at home to Lazio.

"Our character came out last week, to come back from a goal down," said O'Leary. "But we will need it again now. Just look at who they have beaten at home this season: Dynamo Kiev, PSV, Lazio and Manchester United; they don't come any bigger than that."

"This is going to be our most difficult game yet, even harder than playing Manchester United," said Anderlecht's coach Aime Anthuenis. "No one thought we could beat United but everyone here assumes we will beat Leeds and that makes it more difficult."

ANDERLECHT (probable, 4-4-2): Milosevic; Crasson, Ilic, De Boerk, Dheedene; Vanderhaeghe, Baseggio, Stoica, Goor; Koller, Radzinski.

LEEDS UNITED (probable, 4-4-2): Martyn; Mills, Radebe, Ferdinand, Harte; Bakke, Dacourt, Batty, Matteo; Viduka, Smith.

Referee: R Pedersen (Norway).