[Portman]

Serie A - Round 4

Livorno x Milan

Saturday, 23th September '06

Time: 17:00 (UK), 18:00 (IT)

The match after Ascoli and before CL vs. Lille.

Last mach for them: Cagliari 2-2 Livorno, but 1 week ago, they beat Fiorentina at home, so we better watch out.

Anyway, Forza Milan! Let's go ragazzi!

This post has been edited by Portugal: Sep 20 2006, 11:29 PM

[han2503]

Preview: Livorno v Milan - season starts here

Milan travel to Tuscany to face Livorno on Saturday knowing that finally they can start their season after having hauled themselves back into the black following their pre-season points deduction.

The Rossoneri's 1-0 win over Ascoli on Wednesday, courtesy of Marek Jankulovski's strike, dragged Carlo Ancelotti's side out of negative numbers and onto plus one.

And now, after they had started the season on minus eight for their part in the Calciopoli scandal, Milan have the chance to move to within five of the top of the fledgling Serie A table.

Three wins out of three for the red half of Milan have sounded their title ambitions loud and clear, and now their campaign to take the scudetto can begin in earnest.

They find themselves eight points behind early leaders Palermo, with Inter - probably their closest title rivals - just six in advance. Such a deficit is by no means too daunting a disadvantage for Milan to hold and with just three games gone, few will be surprised to see them there or thereabouts at the end of the season.

"EVERYTHING GOING WELL"

Wednesday's scorer Jankulovski summed up the mood around the San Siro after the club's perfect start to the campaign.

"Everything is going very well for the moment and I hope this will continue," he said.

And it could continue with the trip to the Stadio Armando Picchi in Saturday's early kick off.

FOUR FROM NINE

Standing in the way of their 100% record is a Livorno side who are yet to show the form that pushed them into European contention last season.

Despite a 1-0 win in the Tuscan derby against Fiorentina on match day two, Daniele Arrigoni's side have only garnered four points from their first three games, but with strike pairing Ibrahima Bakayoko and Tomas Danilevicius both finding the net in Wednesday's 2-2 draw in Cagliari, the Granata seem to have found the right balance up front.

Eurosport.com