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Another season of the most impressive world club football tournament is coming to an end. After a two-year hiatus, the prestigious UEFA Champions League final will feature the clubs "Milan" and "Liverpool."
Olympic Stadium in Athens Referee - Herbert Fandel (Germany) - (Kickoff - 21:45 Lithuanian time)
Facts and History Two years after the drama in Istanbul, "Milan" and "Liverpool" meet again in the Champions League final, and this time revenge is likely on the mind of the Italian club players. Carlo Ancelotti's team, after an impressive performance in the semifinals, may be considered slight favorites, but "Liverpool" will seek to prove that lightning can strike twice. Therefore, "Milan," remembering the unforgettable circumstances of their opponents' triumph in 2005 in Turkey, will undoubtedly not expect an easy game. If anyone needs a reminder - "Milan" led 3-0 after the first half in Istanbul, but Rafael Benitez's team eliminated the three-goal deficit after the break and, inspired by goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, won in a dramatic penalty shootout.
For both clubs, the Champions League final, to put it mildly, is nothing new. "Milan" has played in the final eleven times and has won the tournament in 1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, and 2003, while finishing second in 1958, 1993, 1995, and 2005 - only Real Madrid has seen more finals than the Italian team. "Liverpool" also has a lot of experience, as this is their seventh European Champions Cup final after victories in 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, and 2005. The only failure of the most titled club in Europe was in 1985, when in Brussels the victory was overshadowed by the famous "Heysel" tragedy. Interestingly, every time "Liverpool" won, they wore the home team's colors and defeated opponents wearing white. Although "Milan" played in Istanbul in white, they still consider it lucky because they won in that color in 1963, 1989, 1990, 1994, and 2003.
The taste of victory in the Champions League is also experienced by both coaches and many players of the two teams. "Milan" coach Carlo Ancelotti led his team to the top of European club football in 2003, while "Liverpool" coach Rafa Benitez achieved it in 2005. "Milan" has 12 players who have participated in victorious finals, while "Liverpool" has slightly fewer from the 2005 final - nine, as all the substitute players now play for other teams.
In the eighth final, "Milan" legend Paolo Maldini equaled the record of Real Madrid legend Paco Gento, and he will seek his fifth winner's medal to equal former Real stars Alfredo di Stefano and Jose Maria Zarraga. Another player who has gone down in history with "Milan" is Clarence Seedorf, who is the only player to have won the Champions League with three clubs: Ajax Amsterdam (1995), Real Madrid (1998), and Milan (2003). Meanwhile, "Liverpool" goalkeeper Pepe Reina follows in the footsteps of another Milan legend and Champions League winner, Cesare Maldini's son P. Maldini, but he will try to do better than his father Miguel, who had to acknowledge Munich's "Bayern" superiority in the 1974 final with Madrid's "Atletico."
There is also some history related to the Athens Olympic Stadium (also known as the OACA Spyros Louis Stadium), where the final match will take place. In 1994, the "Milan" club surprised in this stadium and defeated Johan Cruyff's coached "Barcelona" team 4-0 to win the UEFA Champions League.
When playing against English clubs, "Milan" has won nine times, drawn seven times, and lost eight times. With the last two UEFA finals against English clubs, the Italian team played differently - in 1973 they beat Leeds in the Fair Cup competition, but in 2005 they lost to Liverpool. The latter club has won seven and lost seven matches against Italian clubs, including victories in 1984 and 2005 in penalty shootouts. In total, there have been five English vs. Italian matchups in UEFA tournaments, with the English currently leading with a 3-2 result.
As the match approaches, everyone remembers the 1994 final in Athens when inspired by Dejan Savicevic, "Milan" with the then young Paolo Maldini knocked out the "Barcelona" club and analyzed the psychological background that the 2005 final will give to this year's final. However, "Milan" coach Carlo Ancelotti stated that it will not have much significance: "Those games are history. It will be different this time." His opponent, Rafa Benitez, agreed: "The final of 2005 was amazing, the most impressive in the tournament's history. I don't think we'll see such a match again, and if we do, I'll need a doctor. The game will be tough for both teams, and I don't think we'll see many goals."
Truth be told, the Spanish specialist had a similar speech before the final in Turkey, but he was very wrong. In that final, seven "Milan" players and six from the "Liverpool" team who were in the starting lineup are likely to run onto the field again from the start of the match. Both clubs know each other well, but neither coach is planning to adapt to the opponents, not even Benitez when talking about how he will try to stop the league's top scorer: "We know Kaka is a very good player, but our system is not designed to mark him personally. We defend in zones and try to control the game, the ball, and the free space."
Meeting with the media for the last time before the match, both coaches looked calm - the speeches are over, everything will be decided by who performs better on the field this evening.
Rafa Benitez urged "Liverpool" to continue playing the same way that brought victories against "Barcelona" and "Chelsea" on the way to the final. "We are here because we have done things right until now. We can be calm and trust in our strengths. We have done the maximum work, now we need to enjoy the game. If you do everything right and win, it's perfect, but the most important thing is not to leave the field regretting."
Meanwhile, C.Ancelotti's match reflects the long journey towards the final, which began with trials. When "Milan" lost to Athens' "AEK" in the group stage in the same stadium, it didn't seem like the club could make it to the final eleventh time, but the team managed to defy the skeptics' predictions: "After all, a great harmony emerged in the team and the club. This is the main reason we reached the final. We faced problems and solved them. It gives us strength and motivation. Now we are very strong."
Losses and lineups The main uncertainty for R.Benitez is the midfielder Boudewijn Zenden, whose appearance in the final was doubted. However, the Dutch national team player was already training on Tuesday and should be ready.
"Milan" starting lineup:
Dida; Massimo Oddo, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Marek Jankulovski; Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Massimo Ambrosini; Kaka, Clarence Seedorf; Filippo Inzaghi.
"Liverpool" starting lineup:
Pepe Reina; Steve Finnan, Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger, John Arne Riise; Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso, Boudewijn Zenden; Peter Crouch, Dirk Kuyt.
