Ancelotti does not want Milan reunion

December 12, 2009

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti may have his team leading the Premier League and are one of the favorites to lift the Champions League, but the Italian is hoping for a Round of 16 opponents other than the Milan duo of Inter and AC Milan.

The Blues will be among those seeded in next Friday’s second-round draw in Nyon, alongside Manchester United and Arsenal, after winning their respective groups.

With Chelsea having seven possible rivals for the second round – Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, Olympique Lyon, Milan, Inter, Stuttgart and Olympiacos, the former AC Milan manager is hoping to avoid the Milan based giants’.

“I admit that I would prefer to avoid a head-to-head with (Milan coach) Leonardo in February at Stamford Bridge,” Ancelotti told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“But if it happens, it’s no problem.

“Football puts you in this type of situation.

“It already happened to (former AC Milan star) Kaka, who faced AC Milan with Real Madrid in the group stages.”

Ancelotti, who twice won the Champions League, in 2003 and 2007, during his eight years in charge of AC Milan, is wary of the potential threat of two strong Italian sides.

“It’s obvious that if we get Milan the emotional aspect would be something special,” he said.

“Chelsea vs. Milan would be a very particular situation for the both of us.

“The only problem if we get Inter is that from a technical standpoint they are a great team. I believe that in the runners-up group they (Inter) are the best side.

“To eliminate Italian teams is going to be difficult.”

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