After the 1-3 in Messina, time to get another 3 points against Ascoli.

Forza ragazzi!

P.S. Look at the time of the match. No comments.

hey Porty, are you sure about the time?

Wednesday matches are usually on at random times

Yes. I am.


The Italian Football League announced that 2 days ago.

how much hours different than todays game?

2 and a half

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Carlo said that both Rino and Kaka will most probably be rested for this one.

So it will either be a trident, with Gila, R9 and Oli or a 4-4-2 with Brocchi and Sergio on the wings

Milan must win against Ascoli.

Hey guys do we have a prayer of making third?

I think it's a very realistic target, six points away from Lazio who still have Roma, Inter and Fiorentina to play.

Definately a big possibility

It's possible but there isn't much difference between third or fourth

This games looks like a slam dunk to me

3rd... 4th... same sh1te.

Not exactly...I'd rather we topped among the penalized sides.

And to finish beneath Lazio is kinda annoying. Too much loss of respect.

Plus finishing third gives the team more room to rest their conscience b4 focusing on the CL Final

I'd go with this lineup:


-------------------Dida---------------------
Oddo----Nesta----Maldini/Bonera--Janku
Gourcuff---------Pirlo----------Ambrosini
-------------------Seedorf-----------------
----------Gilardino---------Oli-------------


3 games in 6 days is too much for Ronaldo, that's why he should get a rest here.

please dont tell me 2 and a half earlier

2 and a half later

Again with all the confidence. I liked you better when you were a pessimist


No later

*phew*

Oh?!?!?!?!
inter somehow fought back a two nill loss in the first to tie it up 2-2 fulltime.

so close!!! in losing their first game, but we benefit =] keep palermo away with one point and they have played a game extra.

I think Palermo has an excellent squad .. They could win against Inter and Roma on a good day. But recently, they have been losing and losing, and I don't think that Palermo actually lost so much, but Palermo let go of it.

If you jinx this $hit I'm gonna kill you....

Guys, we shouldn't underestimate Ascoli. Although they're obviously the worst team in Serie A they drawed against Lazio. Anyway, my prediction 2-0 for us.

What I was thinking.

They always give us a hard time, no matter what type of form we're in.

They will try to build a wall infront of their goal, and secondly they have that damn Pagliuca in goal

I personally would go for this line-up, seeing as Carlo already confirmed Rino and Kaka out to take a rest.

Oddo--Bonera--Nesta--Favalli
Yaonn--Brocchi--Pirlo--Sergio
---------Gila--Oli/R9-----------

I would still start Nesta and Oddo, and then rest them again against Cagliari. Favalli has been doing really well on the left, so he should play again. Brocchi or Ambro next to Pirlo but I would prefer Brocchi since we cannot risk Ambro getting injured.

Sergio should definately start since we need him to get back into form. Just imagine him up against Nevile or O'Shea when we play Man U

Gila seems a sure starter, and I don't know if R9 is ready yet to play 2 games in such a short time span

R99 needs to start on his diet plan or else >:(

if both Kaka and Ronaldo get rested than it's gonne be difficult.

Oli and Gila can't do a sh!t alone, however both Kaka and Ronaldo need rest too,

at least I hope Seedorf plays.

We have Ronaldo .. He should play, Carlo could rest the whole team, and since we've got Ronaldo, there is nothing to worry about

Don't know if Ronaldo can play 3 games in 6 days, I'd rest him here and start him for Cagliari. He can come on in the 2nd half if we're in trouble.

I don't think Ronaldo will play.

So it might be Oli and Gila who start.

Football Italia Preview:

Ascoli - Milan

Serie A Week 22 - 18/4/07 (16.30 UK) Stadio Del Duca

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Milan travel to Ascoli for the second time this season after the original Week 22 tie was postponed after the Catania riots. The Rossoneri were struggling back then, but they now find themselves in the top four. Meanwhile, little has changed for their hosts…

The home side are bottom and four points behind closest rivals Messina and Serie B football undoubtedly awaits the Bianconeri. However, they haven’t given up hope entirely after they twice went ahead against Lazio on Sunday – only to be pegged back. But they showed they can still cause the big boys trouble and there is plenty of fight left in them yet.

Ascoli tactician Nedo Sonetti looks like going for three at the back as part of a 3-4-1-2 set-up, in an attempt to close down Milan’s talented midfield. Paolo Foglio may play on the right with Stefano Lombardi covering central defence, where Foglio played last game. Stefano Guberti could also lose his place in favour of Michele Fini who will play behind the strikers. The banned Sasa Bjelanovic is likely to be replaced by Michele Paolucci, who may start alongside Sunday’s scorer Andrea Soncin.

Milan seem determined not to leave winning the Champions League as their only way of qualifying for it next season. To that end they have worked very hard this term and the arrival of Massimo Oddo and Ronaldo has steadied what was at one point a slightly wobbly ship. Last time out they beat a struggling Messina with a resounding 3-1. Goals from Kaka, Giuseppe Favalli and Ronaldo settled it.

It looks like a 4-3-1-2 this time, with quite a few changes all happening at the back. Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini may start as the central pair, in place of Daniele Bonera and Kakha Kaladze, while wing-backs Favalli and Marcos Cafu may have to watch from the bench as Massimo Oddo and Marek Jankulovski come back after their Cup success in Germany. Further forward it looks like being Ronaldo and Alberto Gilardino, with Kaka behind in the hole where he is so dangerous.

Man on fire: Kaka (Milan) – The Brazilian has had an up and down season, but since Ronaldo’s arrival he has done amazingly. He’s now back to his very best.

Last season: Ascoli 1-1 Milan

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

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Ascoli (probable): Eleftheropoulos; Nastase, Corallo, Lombardi; Foglio, Di Biagio, Boudianski, Pesce; Fini, Soncin, Paolucci

Milan (probable): Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Maldini, Jankulovski; Ambrosini, Pirlo, Gourcuff; Kaka; Gilardino, Ronaldo

Uhoh.

DIDA A RIPOSO PER 48 ORE
16/04/2007
MILANO - Nel corso della partita di ieri fra Messina e Milan, il portiere Nelson Dida ha subìto una recidiva del precedente infortunio riportato alla spalla destra. Oggi Dida non si è allenato, ma è stato sottoposto a visita specialistica che ha confermato il problema. Il giocatore rimarrà a riposo nelle prossime 48 ore, dopo le quali verrà ulteriormente valutata la situazione.

[Translation: Dida took a knock to the right shoulder in the Messina match. Didn't train today, will rest for 48 hours at which time a specialist will assess the nature/extent of damage].

F@ck. That's exactly what we don't need right now

time for Storari to prove his worth and certainly no oli!
ronaldo and gila for me

Hopefully Dida will be okay..



Can somebody translate that?

Nesta hurt his left hand in training today. Damage to bones and muscles/tendons has been excluded.

Sh!t!!!!

Just when the injury situation was clearing up.

I hope it's nothing serious for Dida, and Nesta might still be able to play on. Can't imagine facing Man U without him

Arghh. Why did this have to happen? I saw him make a wince of pain after a shot from Messina!

I think (hope) both him and Nesta will be fine in a few days. Though Nesta's lengthy absence was due to an injury on the left hand...

Feck. I can see Dida missing Old Trafford... great.

We'll have Kalac there and another humiliation for the italian soccer.

It was his shoulder.

Let's prey to god that both will be fine in a couple of days

Here's a screen capture I took yesterday from a highlight clip. I knew something was wrong the minute I saw his reaction after the 10th-minute save. :wallbang:

Dida will be fine for United, so will Nesta .. Milan Lab will get the ready and fit for it

what about the 2 matches before?

Well, Serie A was never our target, the important thing is that we remain in the CL slots and our second tier team can do just that.

Kalac is good for a bench player and has showed, when called upon, that he can keep a clean sheet. We have Simic, Kala, and Bonera to step in for Nesta ... So I think we are in safe hands

Yes, I remember it well.

But since he played the whole match after it it can't be that serious... I think he'll be ready for United!

Call ups:

ASCOLI-MILAN: I CONVOCATI
17/04/2007
Sono 20 i convocati del Milan per domani:
PORTIERI: Fiori, Kalac, Storari;
DIFENSORI: Bonera, Favalli, Grimi, Jankulovski, Kaladze, Nesta, Oddo, Simic;
CENTROCAMPISTI: Ambrosini, Gattuso, Gourcuff, Kakà, Pirlo, Seedorf;
ATTACCANTI: Gilardino, Ricardo Oliveira, Ronaldo.

Great Nesta is called up

Made my day!

Anyone here with me think Kalac is good?

I think so too. He can keep a clean sheet if the defenders stands up to their usual selves!