After the 2-2 against Viola, it's Catania time in San Siro.

I'll go for 1X.

0-1 for Catania. Reverse jinx at work

A must win for us. Catania has 9 points more then us plus tomorrow game.
2:0 to Milan

I'm not sure, I always predict a win anytime the team plays at San Siro. But you never know, with this Milan anything can happen.

I'm not going to predict any form of result, cause usually we lose when I do that so I'm gonna shut my mouth.

A few tips if someone could e-mail this to Carlo I would be very greatful
- Pls just play Bonera on the right, he might not deliver the best crosses but at least is solid at the back and doesn't lose the ball as much as Cafu
- Make the subs a bit earlier if you can
- No Pippo just out of form and all he does is get caught off-side
- Play Oli next to Gila
- And Gourcuff should just start in every game from now on, in place of either Pirlo or Seedorf cause both are playing like sh!t

i'm afraid we tried that and didn't do us any good , i think i'll try han's idea and keep my mouth shut .










may the best team win .

A win for Milan ..

We just have two more games b4 the break .. Milan should win them, starting w/ this one ..

FORZA MILAN

I hope we do win this game Gila is looking a bit better i think we'll get 1 from him and Kaka' !!

MILAN FOR THE WIN 2 - 0 !!

FORZA MILAN

My line up for this match:

Kalac
Bonera Simic Kaladze Jankulovski
Pirlo
Gattuso Gourcuff
Kakà
Oliveira Gilardino

Our defense looks stronger than ever.

That is the only thing I would change. Pirlo is just playing AWFULLY. Seedorf might sometimes slow up the play but I think he is playing better then Pirlo (that should say a lot about Pirlo )

Yesterday was a prime example of how bad he's being. From being probably one of the best set-piece takers in the world to a pure zero. If I where a player making up the wall and Pirlo was going to take a free kick against me I would be more worried about the wall hittting me rather then conceeding a goal.

And corners should be left fo Gourcuff he is the most effective on them.

You're probably right, but I think Seedorf's played too many matches, he needs a rest.

is Paolo gonna be back for this match??

more like anything bad can happing can happen with this team.

Yeah, Seedorf has been playing partly injured and that is something we shouldn't foget. But I just think that Pirlo needs to get benched for a while. This post WC hangover is more serious then everybody else thought. So far he hasn't even produced ONE single game that could be called decent let alone a 'Pirlo standard' game.

I think Seedorf can play Pirlo's role just as well. And Gourcuff I think plays better in that left side of midfield rather then the right or center.

If Seedorf isn't doing what needs to be done then we take him off but other then that I would prefer him to Pirlo in that position at the moment.

And Seedorf or even Kaka should start taking the freekicks. And Gourcuff in charge of corners until everyoine starts getting their act together.

Catania could play a 10-0-1 formation .. So, it could be really difficult. But I believe, though the team is tiered, they can win this

That's my biggest concern. And I was watching Chelsea in the weekend and they had practically the same problem with Everton. In the second half, they kept going at them but Everton where closing down so well and then hitting them on the counter. And in the end look what won them the game. 2 moments of Brilliance and an own goal.

Now look at us, our attack has been static and that's why it becomes more difficuilt for us rather then it would be to chelsea.

I think a pacy striker or a very creative one is a must in January and an all out attacking fullback, We might conceed more goals but I think these 2 elements will fix most of our problems

Yap, Pirlo was awfull recently, seedorf wasn't muchg better but still....
Oh and Simic and Kaladze are the best CB ever....man even with Billy I would be much more relaxed and that guy is 40....

Yeah, but problem is, he is out injured aswell so... those 2 are the only option for us at the moment.

Our problem in defence is the fact that we haven't established a partnership that has gone on longer for more then 2 games. Last season Nesta and Kala after they adapted to playing with eachother where rock solid. But now we seem to have gone back to the beginning all over again with all the injuries.

Kaladze's mistakes mostly come from the fact that he has been out for quite a while.

Simic had a great game against Fiorentina IMO, he closed Toni down in most occasions. Kaladze is the one who worries me at the moment.

He just needs to regain form and fitness. He's been out for quite a while now so I think some mistakes are to be expected.

The RB area is the place that's really worrying. I think we just saw a new all time low for Cafu in that match. The worst I've probably ever seen him

I know...but isn't it scary if the 40 year old Billy is more solid than the 12 years younger Kaladze?
Btw, what about Cafu? Does anyone know when he'll be back?

Cafu is back, he just played against Fiorentina .. Or do u mean something happened after that game

Cafu is back since the match against Torino.

Hmm, seems I wasn't paying enough attention to our long injury list... With Cafu I would let him play on the right side, let Bonera play as CB. Even he is more solid than Kaladze...

Yea Kala has been a bit rusty lately

I think we should just let him play and get his form back. Better let him make his mistakes now rather then him not being in form for when we really need the defence to be at it's best.

And Cafu is just playing terribly. Bonera might not give much to the attack but he is solid and I think I would trust him more then Cafu at the moment.
If anyone remembers Bonera showed how good he could be playing in the RB position during the U-21s for Italy. It might just be a matter of form and the fact that he was used to always playing in the center for Parma

Catania's Secret To Stop Milan: Press Kaka
Catania will be facing Milan this week, strong on the fact that the Sicilian club has 9 points more than the Rossoneri and a game in hand. For Coach Pasquale Marino, the only way to stop Milan will be to limit their ace, Kaka.

"Milan are not in crisis, in Florence they did not do badly. At San Siro they will want to do well and in these cases, the motivations count a lot. Kaka has more talent than the rest. We shall have to press him with intensity."

Marino will also be able to recover some important players for this match.

"The right attitude is what will matter, apart from the fact that I will recover some important players, like Vargas and Corona."


goal.com

grrreat... it now seems like every team is thinking 'it's Milan' while we are at why not just win.

Milan - Catania - Football Italia

With Milan still stuttering along the comeback trail and Catania occupying the heady heights of the top four, neither team can afford to drop any points when they come face to face at the San Siro. The hosts are desperate to get back on the Serie A pace and while their Sicilian opponents are unlikely to have planned for their current lofty position, they are even less likely to give it up without a fight.

The Rossoneri are slowly creeping up the table now they are finally clear of the relegation zone, but one win in eight matches is hardly the form of champions. They have now gone five games unbeaten, which is a huge improvement on their dreadful form beforehand, but they know they will have to continue along that road a lot further if they are to satisfy the fans – not to mention President Silvio Berlusconi.

Of course a number of injury problems have hampered their progress this season, and that problem is far from over. Nelson Dida, Serginho, Giuseppe Favalli, Alessandro Costacurta, Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini are all still out for treatment, guaranteeing Coach Carlo Ancelotti’s headache remains. Alberto Gilardino is also expected to continue as a lone striker ahead of Kaka after the 4-4-1-1 system’s success in the 2-2 draw with Fiorentina.

Despite those absences, Carletto still has a formidable squad available to him. Yet however it may appear on paper, Catania will not go into the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza like sacrificial lambs to the slaughter. Currently occupying a Champions League spot, the Serie A table tells it’s own story and the Rossazzurri will fancy their chances of adding another big-name scalp to their growing collection.

The Sicilians have already defeated more illustrious opponents such as Lazio, Parma and Udinese this term, but all three of those victories came on home soil. Away from their island fortress Catania have been far less impressive, as shown by their 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Roma and inability to overcome a desperate Ascoli in their last two away ties.

Man on fire: Alberto Gilardino (Milan) – The under-fire striker scored twice last week to make it three goals in three matches. After so much criticism his celebrations in that match showed how fired up he is at the moment.

Last season: Not played

Form guide: Milan (D W D D D) Catania (W L W D W)


Channel4

Milan (probable): Kalac; Cafu, Simic, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Brocchi, Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf; Kaka; Gilardino

Catania (probable): Pantanelli; Silvestri, Sottil, Stovini, Lucenti; Baiocco, Edusei, Caserta; Colucci, Spinesi, Mascara

I think just playing Kaka behind Gila will not work. Considering that Catania's only apparent plan is to block out Kaka then he won't be much of any help in supporting Gila since he will most likely be trying to fight off 2 markers for most of the match.

Maybe a 3-4-1-2 formation could work something like this

-----Bonera--Kaladze--Simic-----
Cafu'--Seedorf--Gourcuff--Janku
-----------------Kaka---------------
--------Gilardino--Oliveira---------

This way we will have a more solid back 3 in the center. Cafu just can't handle going up and down those flanks anymore so playing him as a winger would help him out more and Janku is more effective in the midfield, and when we have to defend Cafu and Janku could always play deper to make it a 5 man defence.

Seeodrf and Gourcuff in the middle with Kaka just infront of them. And as I said before since Kaka will most likely be fighting off markers for 3/4 of the match then we need that other creative attacking input so we need Oli to play along side Gila.

I think this one could work

I like it .. In fact I love it .. AN all out attack

But, Carlo isn't as creative han ... Moreover, where's Gattuso, we r gonna need him to help kill off any counter attacks ..

In anycase, I hope Gila has broken his duck for good ! Cuz I like him better when he scores

Just thought that having Cafu and Janku would be enough to still get defencise stability since both usually play as defenders

And about Gila!! I like him at all times. But hopefully he'll keep scoring, cause I even like it more when I'm right

They exposed the big secret

Carlo said in today's press conference that Pirlo and Kakà are having slight injury problems so it's not yet certain if they'll play tomorrow or not. Anyway, my line up would a 4-4-2 scheme with Kakà and Gourcuff on the wings, Seedorf in the middle and Gattuso in front of the defense. Something like this:

-----------------Kalac------------------
Bonera-Simic-Kaladze-Jankulovski
---------------Gattuso-----------------
Kakà---------Seedorf------Gourcuff
---------Oliveira------Gilardino-------

AHEAD OF CATANIA

Coach Ancelotti confirmed that it won’t be easy against Catania… they are in fourth place, which is where we want to be.

Here is Carlo Ancelotti press conference ahead of Wednesday’s game against Catania:

I can’t really employ much turnover for obvious reason, while Catania have had a chance to rest. However, we played on Saturday so that should be enough time to have recovered. The formation might be different than the one in Florence, perhaps with two strikers. The line-up won’t change much. Andrea Pirlo and Marek Jankulovski didn’t train yesterday. Their condition will be further evaluated in today’s training session and then we will decide.

The game against Catania is an important one. They are in fourth place with an extra game to play. It will be really important for the classifications.

The referees are young and were thrown immediately into Serie A. This has caused the errors that we have seen that were due to the lack of experience. It is simply a matter of lack of experience. The fans are a little disappointed especially when we play home games because we haven’t done was well as we should have.

The teams that close up on the space are creating problems for us, that’s obvious. But this isn’t the case with Catania because they play the same way on the road that they do at home. They always take risks in their play, like in Rome. We have a good chance in the Champions league, but not because Barcelona lost the intercontinental final because in those games the South Americans are always the favourites. I don’t know about the market. The club are evaluating things and they will decide. I don’t have any preferences. It’s best not to talk about this. The Italian soccer scandal has had a 50% influence over this season’s league.

The Milan Channel also broadcasted Ancelotti’s post-press conference thoughts:

We visited the San Giuseppe hospital yesterday and it is exactly the kind of thing that helps everyone, those that are less fortunate than us and us too. Trying to do good things for others helps nourish our souls as well. The holidays should be a good time for all.

We must be careful as we approach the game against Catania. They are in fourth place, which is where we are heading towards. We must end this bad period in the best way possible. Catania play a good game. It won’t be easy but we will try to do our best.

Squad for tomorrow:

GOALKEEPERS: Kalac, Fiori, Facchin.
DEFENDERS: Antonelli, Bonera, Cafu, Kaladze, Jankulovski, Simic.
MIDFIELDERS: Brocchi, Gattuso, Gourcuff, Kakà, Pirlo, Seedorf.
FORWARDS: Borriello, Gilardino, Inzaghi, Ricardo Oliveira.

Id go for 3 -2 i dunno why but we are leaking goals and i think we'll win but still

i really dont know whats going to happen. but i dont think we'll make CL if we dont win this game.

I don't think it will make much of a difference. There is just 9 pts to go to get 4th place because of the teams being clouthed all together in the middle of the table.

If we lose this one it still won't be the game that decides the season for us.

Yes, but it still is going to be one of the most important games of the season. You see, Catania are 9 points ahead of us, and have yet another match to play due to the postponed one against Empoli this sunday.

Yep I know it's really important, they are the team sitting in our current targeted position and taking 3 pts off of them would be very beneficial for us getting to 4th.

But what I meant is, even though this is a really important match, it will not define our season and where we will end up come the end of it

Probable line-up from Milan channel:

Cafu--Simic--Kaladze--Janku
--------Brocchi--Rino----------
Oliveira------Kaka----Seedorf
------------Gilardino-----------

We're going to win 100%. I've bet a months wages on it.

i like it, i suppose Oli will be slightly in front of kaka so they can link up and maybe just maybe score goals ... oh and i would have gourcuff come on for seedorf at half-time.

...wat makes you say this one's gonna be different to the others?

You think that that was a smart thing to do
Considering how we've been playing I wouldn't bet 5 bucks on us!



Yep me too, considering how Seedorf will perform. If he's playing good and we are winning I would rather if Kaka would be taken off considering that he is still not 100%

well that's true, and if we were 2 goals ahead at half-time , i would take gila off too..

Would I lie to you guys? Victory is 100% certain.

the king has spoken

Would you lie to us?



Well I don't know if you're lieing or not but I hope you're right