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Milan - Anderlecth

Group stage - Matchday 4 - 2006/2007

Wednesday 1st of November 2006

Time: 20:45 (Italian time) 19:45 (UK Time)

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Champions League Preview: AC Milan-Anderlecht
Belgian club Anderlecht travels south to take on a Milan side which is coming off one of the most thrilling matches they have played in recent years.

Where: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy

BACKGROUND

Milan and Anderlecht met two weeks ago at the latter’s home ground in Brussels, Belgium. Milan came out with the three points, by a score of 1-0.

Anderlecht knew Milan were struggling, and they had a chance to get hold of the group with a win over the visitors. That being said, they did not necessarily need to push the issue, as they did not need all out offense to get the result they desired. In fact, Milan showed the same offensive frailty they had been displaying for nearly the entire season.

Not only did Milan have trouble scoring yet again, but they were put under the gun when Daniele Bonera was ejected for a second bookable-offence right after the restart. But rather than recede and lock down on defense, this seemed to give the Rossoneri impetus to go forward. The only goal came through a superb strike by Kakà in the 58th minute. He received the ball far from goal, took a few touches, and then hit an unstoppable-shot that sailed past Anderlecht ‘keeper Daniel Zitka. This was all that was needed, as Milan held on for the improbably-achieved win.

CURRENT FORM

Milan (W D W, 7 points) are currently in first place in Champions League group H. While they have not been able to get on track in domestic competition for the most part, they have done well in European play, with the opening 3-0 home victory against AEK Athens being the bright spot so far.

It appears as though they finally have hit their stride domestically, despite the 4-3 loss to Inter Milan at the weekend in the Derby della Madonnina. While the first-half was one to be forgotten, the second-half performance was markedly better, and through late-game heroics they almost got out with a draw, after having gone behind 4-1 at the beginning of the second-half.

Anderlecht (D D L, 2 points) will be hard-fought to get points from this fixture. Milan will surely look to continue this improved vein of form, and this will be the most important match for Anderlecht so far in the competition. A surprise draw or win would go a long way to helping them make a push for second place in the group.

In Belgian league play, they have continued to do well, with a 2-0 win on Sunday versus bottom of the table Lierse. Ahmed Hassan bagged a brace with the strikes on either side of halftime; although, the score could have been higher, as they missed two penalty kicks.

TEAM NEWS

Anderlecht really only have one glaring injury concern to account for, and that is defender Nicolas Pareja, who is a long-term absentee with a knee problem.

Milan are still without Serginho, but Joann Gourcuff should return to the lineup after a long absence for a rib injury. Daniele Bonera is suspended for his dismissal in the match played in Belgium a fortnight ago.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Alberto Gilardino (Milan) – Finally scored his first goal of the season in the weekend defeat, and looked very active, even having a goal disallowed for a close offside call.

Lucas Biglia (Anderlecht) – the Belgians need a good performance from the Argentine midfielder, whose play is essential toward getting a positive result. He will need to show the quality he displayed on a regular basis back when he played for Boca Juniors.

POSSIBLE STARTING XI’s

Anderlecht (4-4-2): Zitka; Descacht, Juhasz, van Damme, Vanden Borre; Goor, Biglia, Hassan, Boussoufa; Tchite, Frutos

Milan (4-3-1-2): Dida; Cafu, Nesta, Maldini, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Pirlo, Gourcuff; Kakà; Gilardino, Inzaghi

PREDICTION

In what is bad news to teams not only Italy but all across Europe, Milan may now be hitting top-form. This will be especially bad news for Anderlecht, who have a history of struggling in Champions League play.

With the home crowd urging them on, Milan will try to get plenty of goals to build on their recently-acquired confident play. Expect a big win for the Rossoneri.

Milan 3-0 Anderlecht

Goal.com