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Paolo Maldini believes experience will stand his side in great stead ahead of tonight’s opening Group H match against AEK Athens FC. If, as expected, the AC Milan captain faces AEK, it willl be his 97th appearance in the competition, and the 2002/03 winner can call upon the past to see his side through against the relatively unknown quantity from Athens.

'Fantastic experiences'
"Playing in the UEFA Champions League holds the same huge importance as ever for myself and for all of the players," he said. "It's our number one goal. We're starting from the same point as everyone else except we have an advantage over most other sides in that we have some fantastic experience to draw upon."

Golden past
Maldini has more golden memories to call upon than most, including the dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Juventus FC in the 2002/03 final and scoring after just two minutes of the sensational 3-3 draw and shootout defeat against Liverpool FC in 2004/05. Last season, though, Milan yet again came close to reaching another final only to fall foul of eventual winners FC Barcelona at the semi-final stage.

European titans
The Rossoneri captain is all too aware of his side's place in the pantheon of great European club sides and is hoping for more of the same against his Greek adversaries at San Siro. "We've been the best side in Europe, not just in Italy, over the last few years, if you look at our record," he said. "The only shame is that we haven't been able to do the same in Serie A due to an unfortunate lack of consistency."

Athens target
The 38-year-old is looking to lead his side on another European adventure, starting against the side from Athens and, he hopes, leading to a career-ending final appearance in Athens. But, ever the professional, Maldini refuses to look that far ahead, keeping to the age-old theory that you are only as good as your last game.

First and last
His last game was Milan's first in Serie A, a 2-1 win against S.S. Lazio at the weekend which saw Maldini reunited with centre-back Alessandro Nesta, an erstwhile international partnership which should bode well for the Rossoneri as they prepare to face their lesser-known opponents. "We’re in good form considering the league's only just started for us," he concluded. "Obviously, we're not 100 per cent but we're certainly ready for this match."

UEFA.com

This post has been edited by pKillerMax: Sep 13 2006, 05:32 PM

Good Post! Long Live Paolo!