KEVIN Nolan believes Bolton Wanderers will book their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup tonight, provided they can keep their cool in the face of fierce intimidation.

The Reebok skipper is expecting a hostile reception from the Spanish crowd inside the Vicente Calderon Stadium.

And he is confident the Bolton players will be victims of some intimidating tactics from their Atletico Madrid opponents.

But he believes Wanderers - 1-0 up after their impressive performance in the first leg last week - can keep their European dream alive by rising above the more unsavoury aspects of their opponents' tactics.

"They've tried everything up to now," Nolan said, looking back at the often hot-tempered game at the Reebok, in which El-Hadji Diouf secured a well-deserved win with his 74th-minute strike.

"But, when it comes down to it, we've got to make sure that we are professional enough and finish the job that we started last week."

The ill feeling that was generated at the Reebok, where Atletico had their Argentine top scorer, Sergio Aguero, sent off for spitting, has been stoked up this week by the Spanish club posting details of Wanderers' travel itinerary on their official website, prompting Gary Megson to protest that his team's security had been breached, while comments by their head coach, Javier Aguirre, appear to have put pressure on match referee Jacek Granat.

But Nolan says it was the antics of the Spanish players in the first leg that put him and his team-mates on their guard.

"We've got to be prepared for anything," he said.

"We know they tried to get Davo (Kevin Davies) and a lot of our players sent off in the last game. They kicked us and spat on us and did everything they could.

"But we are typically English and we just got on with it. It was absolutely fantastic what the lads did, the performance they gave and the result they got and all we want now is the same again.

"But if they want to go on moaning about referees, they can, but we trust the UEFA officials who, nine times out of 10, will get it right."

Atletico failed in an appeal against Aguero's red card but the governing body took no action over claims that his fellow striker Misto spat at Diouf in a first half incident that incensed the Senegal international, who has himself been severely disciplined for spitting in the past.

Nolan, who accepts that, as captain, he must show a lead in self control tonight, revealed that he was spat on by an opponent in Wanderers' first European tie against the Bulgarian side, Lokomotiv Plovdiv.

"It's not in the English mentality to spit, but it's one of those things," he said.

"People react in different ways. Luckily enough I didn't see red when it happened to me and I managed to get a grip.

"But I think it's the lowest of the low when they do that. I'd rather somebody give me a smack than spit on me. But you just have to rise above it.

"We're here with a great chance of going into the next round of the UEFA Cup and, whatever they throw at us, whatever they say about us, whether it be good or bad, we have to go out and prove that we are better than them over the two legs.

"We're talking here about a top side in Spain and we honestly believe we can get the result in their stadium that we are looking for."