Campo: Atletico will be in a scrap

The Spaniard, once of Atletico's city rivals Real, has added spice to this evening's round of 32 first leg by insisting that the visitors will undergo a thorough examination in the ways of English football as UEFA Cup fever finally hits Bolton.

Atletico's arrival and a cut-price ticket sale during halfterm have galvanised the Bolton public.

Sales will doubtless have been aided by the return to these shores of a few well-known faces — Diego Forlan and Jose Antonio Reyes are expected to start for Atletico.

Midfielder Campo, who won two Champions League titles at Real, is in his sixth season in the Premier League.

Incredibly, he was not registered when the competition kicked off last autumn but he is certain to start this evening.

He said: 'In essence, Bolton are an oldfashioned English team. We work as hard as we can, and we will try to make Atletico suffer.

'Even if they do well in Bolton, we won't give up in Madrid. We we fight all the way.

'Atletico won't find an inferno when they turn up at the Reebok. It isn't that intimidating. But if we start well and score, then they will see an atmosphere.'

Bolton manager Gary Megson confirmed that his team's approach would be uncompromising.

'What Ivan is saying is that we have qualities that you don't always find in Europe,' he said.

'They expect more time on the ball, they are used to that. He's a better judge because he has played in both.

'They won't get kicked around. But they will be challenged. Set-pieces will go into their box.

'They will have to be brave physically, they will have to put their head in there. They will have to play at a Premier League tempo.

'We have to play a style that helps us, that we are used to and that they can't cope with.

'We have to find as many ways as we can of winning that game. If the full back can't head it, that's where it's going. If they don't like it behind them, then we will do that.'

The last few tickets were being sold yesterday ahead of the arrival of a team currently fourth in La Liga.

They may not carry the same lustre as their city rivals but, nevertheless, boasting names like former Arsenal and Manchester United stars Reyes and Forlan, they are the favourites to progress.

However, it will surprise nobody at Old Trafford to learn that Forlan has just endured a 752-minute goal drought, which was ended against Racing Santander at the weekend.

Megson said: 'He's older now, more mature. You can see it in his performance and the goals that he has scored.'

Forlan's 63 appearances at United yielded just 10 goals. He then scored 54 in 106 games with Villarreal and has nine in 17 matches with Atletico.

Bolton have no FA Cup commitment this weekend, so Megson will play his first-choice team.

The club's second foray into this competition has not inspired anything like the euphoria that greeted their baptism two seasons ago.

The 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in November has been the highlight.

More than 4,000 fans made that trip, a surprisingly good turn-out given the generally disappointing home crowds in this season's early rounds.

'If we'd played Bayern Munich at home, we might have got a decent crowd,' said Megson, 'but it would be wrong of us to start on the supporters.

'I don't want to go down that route. We don't get 45,000 every week like some of them do in the Premier League, but they are educated, intelligent and they know their football.

'We know what they want and we will try to give it to them.'

BOLTON (4-5-1): Jaaskelainen; J O'Brien, A O'Brien, Cahill, Gardner; Diouf, Nolan, Campo, Guthrie, Taylor; Davies.

ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2): Falcon; A Lopez, Pablo, Perea, Pernia; Reyes, Maxi, Cleber, Simao; Forlan, Aguero.

Referee: P Rasmussen (Denmark).