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On Wednesday evening, two more giants – "Milan" and "Man Utd" – will enter the battle in the Champions League semi-final. The winner of this tie will face "Liverpool" in the final.
Milan, San Siro Stadium. Referee - Frank de Bleeckere (Belgium) Kick-off time - 21:45.
Thoughts before the match:
The leaders of the English Premier League face a tough task - after a 3-2 victory at home, they need to maintain a minimal advantage, while Milan would only need a 1-0 or 2-1 victory.
Milan's determination to play in the prestigious Champions League final for the third time in the last 5 years is confirmed by coach Carlo Ancelotti's words: "At the beginning of the season, I said the opportunity to play in Athens (where the Champions League final will be held) was utopian, but now this dream has become a reality. The team has shown that in difficult times, they become united. We have been playing better lately and are steadily moving towards our goal."
Milan will have to attack in this game, but C. Ancelotti does not see it as a tragedy: "The opponents have very dangerous attacking players and are very threatening on the counter. However, if we concede a goal, it will not be a catastrophe. We know we can score more than one goal and we proved that in the first leg."
The Italian club's trainer also denied suggestions that the age of their main players could pose a problem: "People say that Milan's winning period is over. But they said the same in 2005, when we played in the Champions League final, they said the same last year when we stumbled in the semi-finals, they said the same at the start of this season when we played inconsistently for a while. But we are still among the elite and I am confident we can stay there."
Meanwhile, Manchester United, who overcame a 0-2 deficit to beat Everton 4-2 in the English league last weekend, are facing their biggest test of the season in this match. "We can expect that Milan, playing at home, will score at least once, but our advantage is also in our attack," said the Scottish strategist, promising not to sit back defensively: "We will certainly not retreat. We will try to attack, but we will not lose our heads and will do it in a disciplined manner. A goal would give us a good chance."
Losses:
Milan's biggest loss is that defender Paolo Maldini will not be able to play due to a knee injury sustained in the first leg. On the other hand, in Manchester, Gennaro Gattuso, who suffered a minor leg injury, will be available for selection.
Manchester United have more significant losses due to injuries. Right-back Gary Neville is still unavailable, while his counterpart on the left, Patrice Evra, will miss the game due to yellow cards. Center-back pair Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, who recently suffered collarbone and groin injuries respectively, traveled to Milan, but A. Ferguson has not yet decided whether to field both of them or just one. Forward Louis Saha, who has a Achilles tendon injury, is also in Milan but is unlikely to appear on the field.
Currently, Gabriel Heinze, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Paul Scholes (all from United) have received yellow cards and in the event of a similar punishment, they would miss the final if the English club reaches it. Paolo Maldini of Milan is facing a similar penalty but he will not be able to play.
Facts:
"Man Utd" has played 12 matches in Italy in its history and lost 9 of them.
Kaka, Marek Jankulovski, Edwin van der Sar, Michael Carrick, and Wayne Rooney have played in all 11 Champions League matches this season. Kaka scored 9 out of the 15 goals for Milan.
In the case of a goal for Milan, Wayne Rooney would become the first Englishman to score in four consecutive Champions League matches. Carlo Ancelotti will participate in his fifth Champions League semi-final, while Sir Alex Ferguson will participate in his fourth.
Milan and Man Utd have faced each other 7 times in European tournaments. Italians triumphed 4 times, while Englishmen won 3 times. The last time the clubs faced each other was in the 2005 Champions League quarter-finals, with Milan celebrating victories by a score of 1-0.
Lineups:
In the host team, Kakha Kaladze or Daniele Bonera are likely to occupy the vacant spot next to Alessandro Nesta.
"I worked very hard in the last two days. I am in good form and will be ready for the battle against United if the coach needs my services," indirectly requested K. Kaladze.
After the match in Manchester, Milan's goalkeeper Dida received a lot of criticism, but it is doubted whether C. Ancelotti will opt for the less experienced Zeljko Kalac instead. Changes are also expected in the attack. Alberto Gilardino, who looked very weak in the first match, is likely to be replaced by Filippo Inzaghi, who has already scored 36 goals in 64 Champions League matches.
As for Manchester United, the freedom of coaching choices is less - only healthy players are allowed on the field. There are still questions about the center-back pair - whether N. Vidic will play with R. Ferdinand or one of them will form a duo with W. Brown. It is predicted that the Englishmen, who are not exceptional defensively, will also deploy two holding midfielders (with D. Fletcher and M. Carrick). W. Rooney, who has regained his sporting form in recent times, is expected to play in attack, with speedsters R. Giggs and C. Ronaldo on the flanks.
Possible lineups:
Milan (4-4-1-1): Dida; Massimo Oddo, Alessandro Nesta, Kakha Kaladze, Marek Jankulovski; Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Massimo Ambrosini, Clarence Seedorf; Kaka; Filippo Inzaghi.
Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Edwin van der Sar; John OShea, Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown, Gabriel Heinze; Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick; Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs; Wayne Rooney.
