NEIL LENNON will use all his Champions League experience to ensure his team-mates don't freeze in the San Siro tonight.

The Celtic captain remembers all too painfully how the group game in Lisbon against Benfica was over before it began as his side fell 2-0 behind.

There would be no way back if that happened here against AC Milan. And the 35-year-old will do all in his power to ensure there is no repeat.

With Celtic requiring a score-draw or better to get through to the quarter-finals, Lennon simply wants the tie to be alive going into the final third, when he hopes nerves might be switched from Celtic to the home side.

He has spent the time since here having a quiet word with each of his team-mates, and he said: "The most important thing is not to concede early. That way we can frustrate the crowd and the Milan players. The longer the game goes on, hopefully we will grow in confidence.

"I know it may be natural for some players to freeze on that stage. I am sure others have done it before them.

"But you just hope you can say the right things to them to prevent this and try to encourage them as best you can.

"I think we should have learned from what happened in Lisbon, look at that and say, we didn't do ourselves justice there.

"We started off poorly and didn't really get a foothold in the game. If we start like that tonight, we're going to be in trouble.

"We just want to be still in the tie going into the last half-hour. And, if we score early, you never know what might happen."

Lennon has liaised with manager Gordon Strachan to try and get everyone in the correct mindset, even to the extent of having an aqua-aerobics session in their hotel swimming pool last night rather than the traditional training at the San Siro.

The skipper already knows the stadium well, having played there in the 3-1 defeat against Milan in 2004.

But, with a new surface laid only last week, even Lennon admits he is not sure what the conditions will be like this time.

He said: "I watched Milan's game against Chievo on Saturday, and it looks like it could be a quick pitch.

"But that could suit us. After playing against Milan three times now, I know they like the pace to be a bit slower."

Lennon knows he could be playing his final European game for the club as his contract is up in the summer. And the man who has played in every one of Celtic's 25 Champions League games since arriving in 2000 does not want to leave the field tonight with any regrets.

He said: "If we could get to the last eight of the Champions League it would mean everything to me."