Let us start the preview by turning back time to the first leg at Old Trafford. After an early own goal by Dida, Kaka came took charge and scored two goals to put Milan up 2-1 at the break. The 2nd half was the Rooney show. Rooney first equalised after a deft hook over the defence by Scholes.Then, a wonder strike by Rooney gave the Red Devils the 3-2 lead to the San Siro. Here are the highlights.
So here we are again, at the brink of what to be titanic of a match. Both teams will be going at it to win the right to play against Liverpool in Athens on the 23rd of May. 18YB sees this encounter as a match between two different schools of thought. Ancelotti plays a more controlled, patient, possession game while Sir Alex, especially away, will adopt the quick counter attacking approach.
Man United
Man United come into this came at the back of an impressive comeback victory against Everton which got them closer to their title. So expect the players to be up for this one. There are very few matches which are bigger than this. The Red Devils are also buoyed by the return of their two first choice pairing of Vidic and Ferdinand. That should provide the team an extra lift before the match. Both of them had joined training with the team at San Siro. The question on everybody’s mind is which pairing would Sir Alex use. It is unlikely and quite a gamble to place them both into the starting eleven right away. As such, 18YB expect Sir Alex to use one of them to partner Brown at the heart of Man Utd’s defence. Here is how Man Utd is expected to line up later tonight.
Vand Der Sar
O Shea Ferdinand/Vidic Brown Heinze
Ronaldo Fletcher Carrick Scholes Giggs
Rooney
Yes, 18YB expect Man Utd to set up 4-5-1 against Milan. The main reason behind this is to match Milan in midfield and prevent them from controlling the midfield. Two natural wide men should start for as they would want to stretch Milan’s narrow midfield. They will have that in Ronaldo and Giggsy. Expect either Carrick or Flecther to withdraw into a more defensive role midfield. Either one of them will be tasked to stick to Kaka if Sir Alex wants to adopt that ploy. He could also go with Carrick and Fletcher withdrawn as defensive midfielders; playing in front of the back four. This to ensure the hole between defence and midfield are adequately covered to prevent the likes of Seedorf and Kaka the space. Rooney will lead the line upfront but will definitely be supported by Scholes, Ronaldo and Giggs. It would be interesting if there would be that free interchanging movement between Giggs, Ronaldo and Rooney or would there be a more disciplined performance by the Red Devils attack force.
Key Players
18YB believes goalkeeper Van Der Sar will be crucial in this game. His experience organizing the back four in front of him will be much needed especially in front of a hostile crowd in San Siro. He was won the competition before with Ajax 16 years ago and would want to end his career with another taste of winning the trophy.
Paul Scholes is another player who is expected to perform tonight. He missed the final in 1999 due to suspension and would want once again help his team into the final this time around. At the same time, he would do well to avoid a booking because he is again, one booking away from missing the final. So it would be interesting to see his first tackle. Ronaldo as usual would be a key player also. He performs, Man Utd performs. He will run at defenders, pegging them back, allowing space for Man Utd to move forward. When on the ball, he draws defenders to him, opening up room for others. When off the ball, he takes one defender out of the equation because he will drag him away. One man will always need to be near him. So, his influence on defenders would play a role here tonight. Kaka won the battle at Old Trafford so expect Ronaldo to step up in San Siro. Rooney needs to bring his A-game today. Rooney is a player who he is on-song, he is lethal. One chance would be all he needs. The downside is he has off-days where h seemed invisible and be very quiet. His finishing would also be wayward. So Reds fans hope that the former Rooney turn up for this one today.
Approach
As mentioned earlier, Man Utd are going to adopt a counter-attacking approach to take advantage of a much slower Milan side and to protect their aggregate lead. Expect Ronaldo to run up with the ball whenever Man Utd wins possession. 18YB thinks they will start cautiously for the first 15-20 mins. As the first half goes on expect them to be more adventurous in their approach towards the end of the 2nd half to sneak the away goal. On the flipside, we also see them getting at Milan in the initial stages to go for the first goal and force Milan to score 2 goals to win it. If the goal doesn’t come early, they will withdraw and proceed with caution. If the goal comes, expect them to drop back and rely on the counter attacking strategy. One thing for sure, Man Utd need to still be in the lead when they enter the dressing rooms at half time. Expect Man Utd to utilize their wings to stract Milan across the field. 18YB feels that to go through the middle is not the best way to go about as the likes of Pirlo, Ambrosini and Gattuso would be too difficult. Work the wings guys, hit Milan fast; we believe that’s the way to go. Sir Alex needs to be at his best tactics-wise for this game.
Players one booking away from missing the final: Heinze, Ronaldo, Scholes
AC Milan
Likewise, AC Milan enters this game at the back of a victory in their last league match. They rested Kaka for the game where they defeated Torino 1-0 to move into third in Serie A. This is an admirable feat considering they had the worst of pre-season with the Italian corruption scandal. To reach the semi finals of the Champions League is even a greater achievement. As such the desire to enter the final is very much high in the Rossoneri camp. The prospect of meeting Liverpool and the chance to seek revenge for the 2005 final is a strong motivation for the Italians.
18YB sees two ways of setting up that Ancelotti could use for tonight. He could use the diamond shaped 4-4-2 or the Christmas tree formation which he used against Torino last weekend. Let’s explore the 4-4-2 diamond formation. Maldini is out for this match according to the press so expect Milan to line up as such in this setup
Dida
Oddo Nesta Kaladze Jankulovski
Pirlo
Gattuso Seedorf
Kaka
Gilardino Inzaghi
Since they are looking for a win, Milan could use two strikers for this game. In this set up, Pirlo will be at the bottom of the diamond. He will be the creative force of the playmaker of this team. Kaka will play in the hole ahead of Seedorf and Gattuso. Ambrosini is the midfielder that will have to sacrifice if Ancelotti decide on this formation. The men upfront; responsible to find the goals would be Inzaghi and Gilardino. They would be looking to upset Man Utd’s patched up defence.
The alternative is the Chrismas tree formation. In this formation, the midfield will be packed by their midfielders. Here is how it will look
Dida
Oddo Nesta Kaladze Jankulovski
Gattuso Pirlo Ambrosini
Seedorf Kaka
Inzaghi
This will see the introduction of Ambrosini and the omission of Gilardino who played in the game against Torino. As such expect rested Inzaghi to start the game. Here, Milan lines up playing 5 across midfield with Seedorf and Kaka having more freedom to roam behind Inzaghi. Three defensive minded midfielders; Ambrosini, Pirlo and Gattuso will occupy the center of the pitch. When in attack this would be their shape. The interesting part is when they switch to defence. 18YB believes that Seedorf would then slot into the left of midfield to cover the middle when in defence. Kaka would stay further forward behind Inzaghi. Kaladze will come into the squad for Maldini.
Key Players
The most dangerous weapon in Milan’s artillery is a 4-letter word in Kaka. He was solely responsible for the two goals Milan have coming into this tie. Expect him to get on the ball as often as possible. His effect is similar to that of Ronaldo’s. He has the ability to influence defenders. 18YB thinks that Kaka has the better of Ronaldo in terms of his vision. He has the ability to pick out a killer pass for the likes of Inzaghi. For this tie, expect Man Utd to cut off supply to Kaka. Talking about vision, Milan boasts the midfielders with great vision in Seedorf and Pirlo. Remember Seedorf’s flick for Inzaghi in the quarter finals against Bayern. Pirlo is the heartbeat of Milan. He is the playmaker for this team. Expect him to spray passes all over the park. He keeps his game simple yet effective. Man Utd will do best not to concede any unnecessary freekicks near and around the 18 yard box because Pirlo is a set piece specialist. The performance of Milan’s midfield is the key if Milan is to go through to Athens.
Approach
Milan will have to go at it to get the goal that will steer them to the finals. As such, expect Milan to come at Man United. Despite the need for the goal, don’t expect Milan to go gun-ho and attack from the start. Trademark of Ancelotti’s team is that they first try to control the game. Expect Milan to play a very patient passing game. Possession and control is way Ancelotti like his team to play. Lots of movement will be seen by the likes of Seedorf and Kaka. In both formations, Milan plays a very narrow game to necessitate their short passing game. Any width would come from the fullbacks, Oddo and Jankulovski moving forward. Man Utd must exercise caution and not allow space for Milan’s midfielders in front of the 18 yard box. Milan possesses players who can hurt them from long range. Kaka, Seedorf and Pirlo all have a decent shot in them. Inzaghi will play on the shoulders on the central defenders and the Milan midfield will look to slip him in if the chance arises.
Players one booking away from missing the final: Maldini (injured)
Scenario
A 3-2 Milan win is the only score that can lead to a penalty shooutout so expect this tie to end within 90 minutes. Milan needs a win to go through to the final. As such, a draw is enough for progress for Man Utd.
18YB predict a game with great football on display from both sides. We will witness some of the best players on the pitch tonight so expect nothing less but quality. We feel that Man Utd have a goal in them while Milan will most probably score in front of their home crowd. We see this game ending in a 1-1 draw with Man Utd going through to make an all English final against Liverpool.
Quotes from both managers
Ancelotti
“Getting this far has been a huge achievement. We've made the cake, now we just need to put the cherry on top."
Sir Alex
“So I think if we're going to do it, we've got to do it our way."
Facts and Figures
United are within one victory of a century of wins in the European Cup
In 50 years of European competition, United have surrendered a winning position only four times, a 1958 loss to Milan
This match will be Manchester United's 127th in the Champions League, equalling Real Madrid's record.
Wayne Rooney could become the first English player ever to score in four successive Champions League matches.
Milan have a 100 per cent record against United in two-legged contests. Following that first confrontation in the 1957/58 European Cup semi-final, the sides met again at the semi-final stage in 1968/69. Milan won 2-1 on aggregate
Milan have never lost at home to English opposition, recording six wins and five draws in eleven matches.
United have lost three of five away games in their 2006/07 campaign.
Milan have previously been semi-finalists eleven times in this competition and only twice have they failed to go on to the final
Milan are aiming to reach their tenth European Cup final and United their third.
The winners will face Liverpool in the final on 23 May in Athens and will be designated as the home team.
AC Milan head coach Carlo Ancelotti has reached the Champions League semis for a record fifth time. Sir Alex Ferguson has taken Manchester United to this stage for the fourth time.
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