WHEN the Helsingborgs coach Reine Almqvist said after his side had drawn 1-1 with Aston Villa that his side would not play as defensively in the second leg, people thought he was joking.

For the Swedish part timers need only a 0-0 draw from their 90 minutes tonight to ensure safe passage to the second round.

However, it transpires he wasn't larking around. For the Swedish club's mission statement stipulates the home side must entertain. Under the headline "Positive Football is a Business Philosophy", their president Ingvar Wenehed espoused the virtues of the attack minded strategy. And that means the Swedes are virtually being ordered to go forward at all costs.

However such terms are likely to be pushed to one side if local opinion is to be believed. Helsingborgs officials believe the more negative course of action will be taken - that is if the comments of two members of staff are to be believed.

The press corps which descended on Helsingborgs' 10,000 capacity stadium were ready to pen their "Swedes in dirty tricks" stories when they saw the pitch had been reduced by two metres in width. In fact, nothing sinister had taken place; UEFA rules say barriers around the pitch must be three metres away, and not two as they had been.

There is a recall for Villa mid fielder Ian Taylor, who is making a European debut instead of Serbian Sasa Curcic who is ineligible - the only change from the side which drew 0-0 with Manchester United on Saturday. It is a match that Villa must win.