European dreams threatened by home discomforts

Guy Hodgson looks at the home teams' chances of success tonight

There is an orthodoxy about Europe that dictates you win ties at home and make sure you do not lose them on your travels. The first round of the Uefa Cup rather confounded that.

Both Leeds and Liverpool had their opponents buried, if not dead, before they got them home while Manchester United did what was expected in Russia and then succumbed on away goals to Rotor Volgograd. It is a deviation from the trend that is soothing nerves around an Elland Road preparing to play host to PSV Eindhoven in the second round tonight.

So far this season, good news has arrived in West Yorkshire mainly via the television as Leeds, at home, have resembled takeaway owners than defenders of a fortress. Even Tony Yeboah has prospered more away from Elland Road, scoring nine of his 11 goals.

The 3-0 defeat by Arsenal on Saturday hardly helped as Leeds, without the injured Gary McAllister or an explosive intervention from Yeboah, looked bereft of ideas. It was not the best preparation for PSV, who are second behind Ajax in the Dutch League and whose tactical nous has been fortified by the appointment of the former Netherlands coach, Dick Advocaat.

Much could depend on the fitness of McAllister, who sustained an ankle injury playing for Scotland last week. "He is optimistic," Howard Wilkinson, the Leeds manager, said, "but then he always is." The decision whether he plays may become a battle between the player's eagerness and the medical staff's misgivings.

In Leeds' favour, there seems no such dilemma over PSV's young striker, Ronaldo, who injured a knee playing for Brazil against Uruguay last week and, as well as missing out tonight, is doubtful for the second leg in a fortnight's time. "Losing him," Arsenal's Dutch international winger, Glenn Helder, said, "is like Leeds losing Yeboah."

Liverpool will not have their expensive striker, Stan Collymore, in their team, either, against Brondby in Denmark, but that will be by choice as Ian Rush is preferred as the foil to Robbie Fowler.

This is an abandonment of the one-striker policy adopted in the 2-1 success over Vladikavkaz in Russia in the first round, although Roy Evans cannot be described as acting through ignorance, as his reserve goalkeeper, Michael Stensgaard, lived 15 minutes from Brondby's stadium before moving to Anfield last year.

"There isn't really one danger man," the 21-year-old Dane said, "it's the whole team. They work hard for each other and, you never know in a cup game, the performance can be 200 per cent better than normal, especially against a club as big as Liverpool."

Nottingham Forest, the spiritual home of the prototype, come face to face with the man described as the "French Brian Clough" tonight when they travel to France to meet the Auxerre coach, Guy Roux. Frank Clark, Clough's successor at the City Ground, admits: "We know they are going to make it very tough for us, but, having been out of Europe for 11 years, this club is hungry for success on the continent again."

Not as famished as Raith Rovers, whose first European campaign has brought them Bayern Munich, Jurgen Klinsmann and all, in the second round at Hibernian's Easter Road. They will be urged to provide one thing by their manager, Jimmy Nicholl: "Make sure we're still in the tie by the time the second leg comes around."

It will be a thought echoing in a few minds tonight.