SASA Curcic will be asked to play the role Jason McAteer perfected when he makes his Wanderers debut in tonight's Burnden showdown with Bruce Rioch's Arsenal.

The £1.5 million midfielder from Partizan Belgrade is plunged straight into the Premiership survival fight with the heavy weight of expectancy on his shoulders.

He will wear the No 4 shirt McAteer vacated when he joined Liverpool for £4.5 million last month and he'll be given the same duties to perform.

"Jason did a marvellous job for us and we've missed his legs," Burnden boss Roy McFarland acknowledged. "He gave us energetic performances getting from one 18 yard box to the other.

"Now we're confident Sasa Curcic can provide that same link for us."

As expected, the eight-times capped Yugoslav international takes over from the suspended Richard Sneekes for a game that brings Rioch back to Burnden for the first time since he sensationally quit to take over at Highbury.

England captain David Platt is strongly tipped to return as the Gunners look for the win that will put them back into third place in the Premiership.

Curcic apart, there have been hints of a change in emphasis from Wanderers as they look for only their second Premier League win, although the suggestion that John McGinlay will lose his place to Fabian de Freitas did not appear to be on the agenda. Top scorer for the last two seasons, McGinlay has scored only twice in ten starts but has been denied the quality of service he thrives on.

The Burnden management team have been keeping their cards close to their chest but David Lee's impact in the last half hour of the Coca-Cola Cup tie against Leicester has put him in the frame for a return to the starting line-up. McFarland has warned his players not to be distracted by the Rioch 'sideshow'. "We need to be clinical and level-headed - not just because of Bruce coming back but we're live on TV," he cautioned

"But it's just the next game as far as I'm concerned and it's important we get something out of it. We said from the outset that our home games will be important to us if we are to stay in this division."

Wanderers (from) Branagan, McAnespie, Phillips, Curcic, Bergsson, Fairclough, Lee, Stubbs, Paatelainen, McGinlay, Thompson, Patterson, de Freitas, Davison, Green.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.