Champions League: Liverpool Or AC Milan?

[NoAngst.]

5-0 to Milan

Kaka with a hatrick, Seedorf and Pipo Inzaghi pitch in also.

[Cilmiile]

Kaka will have no space to play.

[kadarre]

Bootada naga daaf

[Cilmiile]

this season's champions league will be a repeat of 2004. A pretty and free scoring Monaco destroyed a talented but brainless Chelsea coached by Ranieri. Entertaining football. The other semi was a hard fougght and tactical dogfight won by Mourinho and Porto.

Porto and Mourinho then totally suffocated the pretty, free-scoring footballers of Monaco.

for Monaco read Milan. For the disciplined tactical football of Porto read Liverpool and benitez.

[michael_ital]

AC Milan looks for Champions League win
Alberto Gilardino

Associated Press

5/22/2007 3:05:30 PM

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Two years after losing a 3-0 lead and the biggest prize in European club soccer, AC Milan gets a chance to set things straight.

The 2005 Champions League final loss in a penalty shootout to Liverpool still haunts the Rossoneri, and now they face the Reds again for the trophy.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti wants his team to forget that disaster and concentrate on what his players have achieved this season after the club's eight-point punishment in the Italian league for match-fixing.

"The game two years ago is another story," he said Tuesday. "It has nothing to do with this. This is a new adventure.

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"What we've done this season is extraordinary, considering the difficulties we've faced. Psychologically we're extremely motivated. Milan deserved to reach to reach this final - maybe more than any other squad."

Milan led 3-0 at halftime in the 2005 final in Istanbul, Turkey, but then conceded three goals in six minutes and lost 3-2 on penalties.

Of the lineups in the Istanbul final, up to 14 players could face each other again in Athens.

While the 2005 final began with the rare sight of a first-minute goal by Milan's veteran defender Paolo Maldini, this game is likely to start much more slowly, with neither side wanting to make the first mistake.

"Our plan will be don't concede any goals and for sure don't concede in the first minute," Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said. "It will be tough. The last final was amazing. For me, it was the best final in the history of this competition. I don't think we will see a game like that.

"If you said to me, `Do you want to see that kind of game,' I would need to see a doctor."

Maldini, who turns 39 next month, hopes to recover from a knee injury to play in his eighth final, tying the competition record of Real Madrid winger Francisco Gento in the 1950s and 60s. If Milan wins, Maldini would collect his fifth European Cup title, one fewer than Gento, dating back to 1989 and his team is its third Champions League final in five years.

"To be the captain of a team that is still reaching these heights is really a matter of pride," Maldini said.

Milan, which is playing in its 11th final in Europe's most prestigious competition, is chasing its seventh triumph. Liverpool is looking for its sixth title in seven finals.

Benitez masterminded the Reds' comeback in Istanbul in his first season at Anfield after leading Valencia to unexpected Spanish League and UEFA Cup victories the year before.

Benitez is used to appearing in finals and winning titles - this is the fourth season in a row he has taken a team to a final. He also led Liverpool to the FA Cup title last year.

Kaka has 10 Champions League goals this season and was the star of Milan's semifinal elimination of Manchester United.

Although 41-year-old defender Alessandro Costacurta is on the brink of retirement and won't feature in the game, Milan could field two more veterans in its back line - Maldini and 36-year-old right back Cafu. If that's the case, Benitez could send out two fast forwards in Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt and Jermaine Pennant attacking from the right wing.

His other tactic could be to field the lanky, six-foot-seven Peter Crouch as the target man for high balls into the box.

Unable to field Ronaldo, who is ineligible under UEFA rules because he already played for Real Madrid in the competition before his mid-season move, Ancelotti has to decide whether to start Filippo Inzaghi or Alberto Gilardino in attack in front of Kaka.

Liverpool's new owners, George Gillett Jr., and Tom Hicks, are due to attend the game.

Gillett also owns the Montreal Canadiens while Hicks owns the Dallas Stars.

German referee Herbert Fandel will take charge of the final, which could be played in wet and stormy conditions. The forecast calls for heavy showers and thunder.

A combined 35,000 fans of the two teams have tickets for the game, although there are fears that many more may show up hoping to buy black market tickets. Police plan to keep rival fans well apart by diverting them to different parts of the city on their arrival.

About 15,000 police will be on duty. Riot police were already on the streets of downtown Athens as early as Monday as the first fans arrived.

[Unclebin-]

^ Mikey, 2:00 pm EST.... TSN

My heart says liverpool my brain says those italian bastards end up winning. I HATE GATTUSO

[Karbaash_killa]

whats with the Man u fans here cheering on Liverpool?

Keeping in mind if Liverpool beats Milan then its a double shame for Manu as Liverpool has beaten not just any team but one that thrashed Man U a fourthnight ago

[Sir-Luggoyo]

The hype in the buildup, the bluffing, the swearing and the jeering is unparalleled, I hope the game lives upto the expectations and doesn't fall flat on it's face like Chelsea V ManU final in the FA Cup.

I am counting the minutes, literally

[Ina Baxar]

About 3 more hours , I might wanna watch this one

[SummerRain]

[quote="DANGIRL"]Liverpool stick it to the Italian side that shouldn't have even been allowed in the competition to being with.[/quote]

As a ManU fan, you should never be on Liverfool's side regardless how many times AC Milan beat us.

[Ina Baxar]

So , any updates?

[SummerRain]

^^^42 minutes of boredom football so far. This should be ManU finishing off Liverfool.

[Ina Baxar]

So 0-0 uuhh......yeah... ismahan?

[SummerRain]

Ok...maybe not its 1-0 to AC Milan courtesty of Inzaghi's free kick.

[COSTA]

I think its Pirlos goal the ball touched Inzaghis shoulder they shouldnt give him