Tonight's Champions League clash between Deportivo La Coruna and AC Milan represents a tantalising occasion; namely a game that justifies all the hyperbole attached to Europe's premier club competition.
Put simply, it is no exaggeration to suggest this game could witness a metaphorical passing of the baton as Italian club soccer, in apparent decline, knuckles under to a Spanish league which, on the evidence of the last two seasons, is currently the strongest in Europe.
Tonight at the San Siro in Milan, Deportivo need only a draw to go through to the quarter-finals, thus joining fellow Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Valencia (both already qualified) and thus seeing off the last remaining Italian survivor in European competition.
Not so long ago, this would have been a total mismatch. Once upon a time, AC Milan were not only one of Europe's traditional powerhouses but also a club that could count on the mega-bucks made available by its media tycoon and politician owner, Silvio Berlusconi.
In contrast, Deportivo were once a side of modest means and correspondingly modest results.
Whilst Milan used the Berlusconi millions to acquire the best Europe and Latin America could offer, Deportivo struggled to make ends meet and were permanent members of the Spanish ascensor (lift or elevator) club - those sides that perennially yo-yo between Divisions One and Two.
Television, of course, has changed all that. Whilst Berlusconi's political ambitions - by May 13th, he may well be Italy's next Prime Minister - have partially reduced the flow of funds to his club, rivals such as Deportivo find themselves richer than ever thanks to the injection of lucrative television-rights cash. Clubs like Deportivo can now also trawl the transfer market whilst, perhaps even more importantly, they can now afford to retain good players.
All the omens point Deportivo's way. The Spanish champions are in blistering form, having beaten relegation battlers Numancia 4-1 at the weekend to stay five points adrift of Real Madrid in second place in the Primera League. Three days before that, they staged arguably the comeback of the season from 3-0 to beat Paris St Germain 4-3 in their Champions League home clash.
In sorry contrast, AC Milan are currently limping. The side who at one period in the 1990s went unbeaten in Serie A for nearly two seasons has won only two of its last 18 games. Since mid-December Milan have lost seven times, with arguably the most painful coming in a 2-0 Champions League loss to Galatasaray in Istanbul last week.
Twenty four points behind league leaders AS Roma following a 1-1 away draw with Atalanta last Saturday, and thus clearly out of the Serie A title race, Milan have invested their remaining credibility in the Champions League. That this year's final will be played at their own San Siro stadium on May 23rd has only added further pressure, whilst the role of last surviving Italian club hardly makes things easier.
Without injured goalkeeper Cristiano Abbiati and suspended defenders Luigi Sala and Argentine Jose Chamot, Milan will resort to painkillers and stretch-elastic bandages to patch up injured key figures such as defender Alessando Costacurta and midfielders Demetrio Albertini and Gennaro Gattuso.
Deportivo will look to the beguiling midfield inventions of the Brazilian trio of Djalminha, Emerson Moises and Mauro Silva whilst hoping Uruguayan striker Walter Pandiani can maintain the remarkable strikerate that has seen him score five goals in his last two games against PSG and Numancia.
