Milan vs Red Star Belgrade–preview
Posted on | August 9, 2006 | No Comments
Italian giants AC Milan will look for all 3 points when they host Red Star Belgrade in the first leg of the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League on Wednesday.
Milan were originally docked 44 points for their involvement in the match fixing scandal which rocked Italy before the World Cup.That got reduced to 30 on appeal,enabling them to play the qualifying stages of Europe’s most prestigious club competition.The Rossoneri will look to grab this opportunity with both hands,given that they were initially in danger of not playing the tournament at all.
Milan signed wonderkid Yohan Gorcuff from Rennes this season.Their other notable signings have been Daniele Bonera from Parma and Giuseppe Favalli from Inter.Prolific Ukranian striker Andriy Shevchenko has moved to the Bridge .Veteran Jaap Stam has gone back to his homeland and so has midfielder Rui Costa.
Milan have some problems in their defence though.Centrebacks Alessandro Nesta and Kakhaber Kaladze are injured and Daniele Bonera is suspended.However their midfield boasts of some of the biggest names in soccer-Kaka,Pirlo,Seedorf to name a few.Pirlo had a splendid World Cup.His set pieces are a treat to watch and the men from Belgrade will do well to be aware of that. Kaka is the link between midfield and attack and the Red Star defence will have its work cut out in keeping the talented Brazilian quiet.
Upfront,Filippo Inzaghi would like to celebrate his 33th birthday in style with one goal atleast,if not more.
Red Star overcame Cork City 4-0 in the second qualifying stage.They are the reigning Serbian champions and were European champions in 1991.
Their manager Dusan Bajevic is no stranger to big occasions,having reached the quarterfinals with Olympiakos in 1999.
Milan will have to watch out for the lanky Nikola Zilgic,who will be a major aerial threat.In midfield,the likes of Nenad Kovacevic and Blagoy Georgiev will have to do lot of work if Red Star want to get anything from this game.
Verdict : Milan have been one of the most consistent teams in the Champions League in recent times.They need a win from this game.Italian teams have not had an easy time in Belgrade and Red Star have a good record at home.Should Red Star manage to take a point away,they will feel that they are in with a decent chance to make it to the group stages.
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