Rugged, sweaty, toothless?

Hardly words you would tend to associate with those who strut their stuff in Italy's catwalk capital. This was footballing fashion Joe Jordan style, though. The 61-year-old Scot is still a dedicated follower of all things Italian and when his old club, AC Milan, swagger into Glasgow for their Champions League encounter with Celtic on Tuesday, he will be keeping a keen eye on affairs.

It's some 30 years since the gap-toothed Jordan got his famous fangs into Serie A. His eventful two-year stint with the Rossoneri included relegation from the top flight and an immediate return the following season before the former Scotland striker fittingly concluded his Italian job with a spell at Hellas Verona in the city of Romeo and Juliet, Jordan's love affair with the country being a passionate one.

The present day AC Milan, who are in the midst of something of a transitional year, are muddling about in mid-table in Serie A and may just be vulnerable to an ambush from a Celtic side in desperate need of a victory to keep alive their fading hopes of qualifying from Group H.

A defeat at Parkhead might just get the San Siro natives restless, and Jordan knows what that could mean in the red-and-black half of a city that eats, sleeps and breathes football.

'When it's not going well as a Milan player? . . . well, you've not experienced anything like it," he said as he recalled those eye-opening days in the northern metropolis. "Seriously, I had an education there. It was arguably the best move of my career, an unbelievable experience. If you talk about pressure, I felt I handled it but I certainly sensed it at that club more than anywhere else.

"I think it was because I was the only foreigner there at that time. You felt an incredible respons-ibility when you woke up in the morning as a Milan player.

"When you went to bed - that was after they let you go - you felt it. Two days a week you left at eight in the morning and got back at eight at night.

"It was a total change in culture to me but a fantastic opportunity and something I would have regretted had I not had it. The fans stuck by me; they were brilliant with me. It's just the name, the history, all that's gone before, the tradition of the club. As a football player in an Italian city, whether it's Rome, Turin, Florence or Milan, you have a responsibility that doesn't end when you come off that pitch. No chance.

"They idolise you, they respect you and put you on a certain platform and position in society. In return, you must represent that club to your highest level. I think things would still need to get a wee bit more difficult than they are now before the Milan players wouldn't want to be seen about town, though."

A victory for Neil Lennon's men would hoist them above their visitors and give the Scottish champions renewed hope before they travel to Camp Nou for a daunting final match of the group campaign against Barcelona. It should be another raucous old night down London Road way.

"I do think Celtic can get something from the game, they've done it before," said Jordan, recalling the last-gasp 2-1 victory Celtic claimed over the Italian giants in 2007. "It would be fantastic for Scottish football were Celtic to qualify. You saw that last year when they got a result against Barcelona and went on qualify for the knockout stages. What a lift that gave the game.

"It would increase Neil Lennon's stock again and the same goes for the players. Once you get performances, then everything looks after itself. A footballer doesn't need to do anything other than produce the goods. You don't need talk from spin doctors and all that rubbish. Just go and play and get results."

A big result is what Celtic need on Tuesday night, of course, and you can bet your boots that it will probably be a rugged, sweaty display. They will hope that it won't be toothless, though.