Gary Caldwell admits Celtic will have to stop Kaka if they are to gain the point needed to qualify for the next round of the Champions League.Kaka was confirmed on Monday as the newly-crowned European Footballer of the Year and is favourite to land the World award later this month as well.

The 25-year-old will be the AC Milan line against Celtic at the San Siro on Tuesday night and he will be the man the Scots are most keen on halting.

"He deserves this award, not only for how he plays football, but for how he conducts himself off the pitch," said Celtic manager Gordon Strachan.

"The best player has to be a role model, and Kaka is that due to his conduct on and off the field."

With defenders Lee Naylor, John Kennedy, Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe and Mark Wilson all out injured, the responsibility for stopping the Brazilian wizard falls to Caldwell.

And he is hoping for a little help from his friends in stifling Milan's greatest threat.

"I don't think one man can do it," he said.

"There is nobody in the world who is able to stop him using just man-to-man marking.

"We have got to find a strategy as a team to stop him and keep the ball away from him."

Caldwell conceded a late penalty against Hearts at the weekend as Celtic were held at Tynecastle in the SPL.

Tiredness after a crucial Champions League fixture last Wednesday may have played a role in the Bhoys throwing away two points in Edinburgh, but Caldwell insists he still has another 90 minutes in those legs.

And he is as determined as ever to block Milan's path to goal after learning of his side's failure to keep a clean sheet in their last 32 competitive away fixtures.

He said: "As a player, you don't really think about that."

"Having read the stats, it has been too long since we kept a clean sheet away and, as defenders, we have got to do something about it."

The 25-year-old defender has 25 Scotland caps, making him one of the most experienced players at the top level in Strachan's side in Milan.

That should give him an advantage in the San Siro, where many players arrive at the gates already fearful of what they may find inside.

"As we did for Scotland against France recently, we know we can always rise to the occasion," said Caldwell.

"It is nights like this that all players want to be involved in."

And Strachan also played down the importance of the venue, which is almost as familiar to the Scots as Tynecastle and Pittodrie now they are playing Milan for the fourth time in less than a year.

"The San Siro is not scary," he said. "It is certainly easier for us since we understand already what it is like to come here."

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