Revenge and qualification on the line in Milan

November 25, 2009

AC Milan can secure qualification to the Champions League knock-out stages and gain an element of revenge if they beat Marseille at the San Siro in Group C on Wednesday.

Marseille beat Milan 1-0 in the first Champions League final in 1993 to become the first and only French team to win Europe’s premier competition.

That was the last time the two sides had met until September’s clash on the Cote d’Azur, with Milan running out 2-1 winners.

That was a game that Milan came into in poor form and in which Marseille dominated but were stung by two typically predatory finishes from Filippo Inzaghi.

Having lost that game and then been well beaten away to Real Madrid, Marseille’s hopes of advancing seemed small, but they have responded well, beating FC Zurich home and away to push themselves to within a point of Milan and Madrid.

If the Italians and Spaniards both win, they will qualify for the second round, so Marseille have to get something out of this game to ensure they stay in the hunt.

They will also be looking for revenge on Milan having lost a game they should have won on the south coast.

And given the recent goalscoring form of both teams, this promises to be an entertaining encounter.

Prior to Friday’s 1-0 win over Paris St Germain, Marseille had banged in 11 goals in their previous two matches while Milan showed in their 4-3 defeat of Cagliari on Sunday that they can be irresistible going forward.

What could make this match equally interesting, though, is the difficulties both teams have at times at the back.

Marseille’s 11 goals came in a 6-1 win in Zurich and then a 5-5 draw away to Lyon in which they had actually held a 4-2 lead with 10 minutes left.

The south coast club have been at best inconsistent this season, although there have been signs under coach Didier Deschamps that they are headed in the right direction.

And Deschamps is no stranger to beating Milan having captained that Marseille side that won the Champions League in 1993.

He also put one over Milan coach Leonardo on the field in 1998 in the World Cup final in Paris when France beat Brazil 3-0.

But Leonardo arrives at this match with a much improved reputation to the one he had when the sides first met this season.

The rookie looked like a fish out of water at the beginning of the season as his team managed only six goals in their first nine matches, failing to find the net in five of those and winning only three of them.

But for Milan’s financial difficulties, he might well have been a candidate for an early sacking.

Yet Milan kept faith and Leonardo’s record and standing have been heading in the right direction.

The rossoneri have not lost in nine matches and won six of the last eight.

Perhaps more important is how they have been playing, particularly in attack.

Ronaldinho, who had looked like a shadow of his former self throughout much of 2009, has benefitted from the faith Leonardo has been showing him and although his turn of pace has gone, he has not lost any of his ability on the ball.

Leonardo’s three-pronged attack is also working wonders with the injury-prone Marco Borriello – who is a doubt for Wednesday with a knee problem – proving the perfect foil for Ronaldinho and Pato either side of him.

Borriello’s strength and ability to hold up play and bring others into the game has proved a better combination with the two Brazilians than Inzaghi’s style of hovering on the edge of the offside line.

Pato has also rediscovered his scoring touch after a lean spell and with Clarence Seedorf and Andrea Pirlo in the side, Milan are firing.

But it is at the back where they are suffering, particularly in the absence of centre-half Alessandro Nesta and defensive midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.

Both should be missing again on Wednesday and that could help ensure a spectacular occasion.

MILAN, Italy (AFP)

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