AC Milan vs Bayern Munich -- 2nd Leg

My hopes are on KAKA tonite i hope he really messes those dam byrans go Ricardo
Go Milan
Forza Milan

UEFA Champions League: 2005-6

Round of 16 - Second Leg

A.C. Milan vs. FC Bayern München

Stadio San Siro, Milano - ITALIA

Capacity: 85,700

First Leg: 1-1 [Ballack | Shevchenko (pen)]








Wednesday [March 8, 2006]

Kick-off -> 19:45 (UK Time): Sky Sports 2

PREVIEW
=======

This one is coming a little late. I wanted to wait to see what happens on Tuesday night because this game has me in two minds. The law of averages is bitterly against us. Last night's results also resulted in not a single home team losing! The good thing is that there were two draws and only one home side won on the night! Last night there weren't many goals which is a UCL tradition sort of. On one matchday there are goals galore and on the other night it is a little slow on the goals. Keeping in mind the teams that are playing tonight and how the ties are balanced, it could well turn out to be a goal fest UCL night.

Bayern's superb undefeated streak came to an end at the hands of Hamburg SV while Milan continued their good run. IMO Bayern lost at a bad time because had they escaped the weekend without getting hurt, Milan would've won sureshot tonight. We will know in a few hours if that Sheva save and Gilardino miss were costly for Milan. Milan usually plays well through the month if the club starts off the month well. I have noticed this pattern especially under Carlo's reign. Well, Milan did win the game on the weekend convincingly but Ancelotti wasn't pleased with his side one bit. The good thing was that Milan kept a clean sheet but the bad thing IMO is that we scored three making it possible for a goal scoring glitch tonight and also being susceptible for conceding.

The law of averages is against Milan tonight but the form and performance is in Milan's favour. There is stability in the defence as Kaladze has started to relax in his role as a central defender while Stam is doing well in his RB role. Nesta looked solid in Munich and it maybe an indication that he looks far more comfortable with Maldini or Kaladze in central defence rather than Stam.

I'll be honest in saying that this game has made me a nervous wreck. When things are going so well as they are for Milan, bad **** is just around the corner and I don't know what awaits us as we pass the corner.


Bayern cannot be given the opportunity to start getting comfortable on the ball. There are two main factors to prevent that from happening.

1. Milan's midfield has to do what it has done this season in the big games. Boss the game. Control the midfield and neutralize the strength of Bayern's midfield.

2. The Stadio San Siro has to "Raise Hell"!! I cannot stress this enough. Ancelotti was spot on in his reading that the Devil's Den will be a cauldron of hell tonight. The crowd has to push the side through the 90 or even 120 as I mentioned before because it can stretch that long. There is no excuse for not making your presence felt due to being nervous. We are playing a European heavyweight capable of winning away from home, not a second tier European side like .....

3. Last but definitely not the least. Do it for Maldini. If that isn't motivation enough then I am lost for words. The team has to do it for him. We as fans have to do it for him.

============
---> M I L A N <---
============

Milan pulled off an unlikely result. I say unlikely because one has to look at the general consensus / opinion and not the Milanisti to see what people think of your side. It was the same thing last year vs. Utd. Ancelotti's Milan in particular has not failed to deliver against the odds but at the same time his side has had a problem to deliver the desired results when being tagged as favourites. It might not be a bad thing actually that this tie is hanging in the balance irrespective of the result in the first leg. Milan finished the first leg on a strong note and that can help the psyche of the team. A draw is always considered a tricky result away from home in the first leg by me because the visitors come with a nothing to lose attitude in the second leg. The Redondo Show at Old Trafford and Utd. fightback in Torino still flashes in front of me when this type of scenario arises. Milan needs to be careful.

Ze Germans have lost on all of their previous 5 occasions to Italia. That is one more thing that goes against Milan as this losing streak will not continue forever. I am not trying to demoralize our fans but there are one too many things against Milan in this tie that have a lot to do with patterns and build-up to the game rather than pure football or form. It worries me.

Magath is bullish yet again. Seems like he didn't learn from the first leg and he thinks that Bayern will win surely. Getting a ECC winner against Italy's second best side doesn't necessarily mean that a footballer cum coach knows his football in the coaching arena. He made the mistake of comparing Milan to Juve in the first leg and paid a price. He has made a mistake again IMO but time will tell whether this arrogance breeds from confidence or stupidity.

==============
---> B A Y E R N <---
==============

Bayern started off well at home but they lacked the final ball and the threat in front of goal. They were good at making Milan suffer and run around but there wasn't any end-product to Bayern's game. Apart from that beauty from Ballack which couldn't be saved, Makaay came the closest when his shot was blocked and the other one went wide. Milan started to feel comfortable after an uneasy period and then started to boss the game and even came close to winning the game against odds.

Bayern know that they are not all out as yet. 2 goals puts them firmly in the driving seat and they are quite capable of scoring those 2 goals. Even if they score 1, they can put pressure on Milan. There is only one viable solution for Milan as this is not a Nesta-Maldini superb defence partnership era. Our defence is doing good but it cannot be relied on like the Nesta-Maldini duo. You leave nothing to chance in such a game. You go for the kill because the risk is too much.

Bayern also know that Gattuso is unavailable and the hustling will be less this time around from him. They will try to utilize Ze Roberto a lot more and hope that Stam has a weak game to send in those crosses and make use of the space from that side. Magath will surely want his strikers to have a good night out as it is imperative to make the best of scoring chances in away games. Pizarro was too far from the striking range in the first leg while Makaay had an off-night.



Probable Starting Line-Up(s)
=======================

---------------
---> Milan <---
---------------

Formation: 4-4-2 flat

---------------------------- Dida ----------------------------------

-- Stam ------------ Nesta ------ Kaladze -------------- Serginho --


--- Kaka ------------ Vogel ------ Pirlo ----------------- Seedorf ---


-----------------Shevchenko ---- Inzaghi --------------------------



---------------------------
--- Ancelotti [M I L A N] ---
---------------------------

1. The good news is that Dida has recovered and is fit enough to start this game. He is better than Kalac so it is good news for Milan. A strong performance from him is still required.

2. Gattuso misses this game due to his own mistake and he will never learn in that respect. It is a lost cause to hope that he will learn from his mistakes because he is too much of a dimwit to be taught things beyond his learning capability. His emotion will always have the better of him. Vogel needs to step in as Ambrosini is not fit enough to start. This is a huge chance for Vogel to step-up and put the brakes on one Michael Ballack.

3. Personally speaking I would not start Inzaghi in this game as he is coming off the back of a brace at the weekend and the goals can become hard after such a game but his form demands that he starts. I think he would've been a very handy sub as this game can stretch to extra-time. Gilardino's movement is still fine and I would've played him but Carlo knows better. I think that Pippo could find it tough to score tonight but he has earned a start so he has to be given the chance to score.

4. Deisler will probably start tonight. Magath will need creativity and Scholl will be the sub if need be. Magath knows that he has to push for the result as a 0-0 takes Milan through so the initiative has to come from him. Therefore, one can expect guys like da supa talent and Scholl to have playing time tonight.

------------------
---> Bayern <---
------------------

Formation: 4-4-2 diamond

---------------------------- Kahn ------------------------------

-- Sagnol ----------- Lucio --------- Ismael ------------- Lahm --

--------------------------- Demichelis -----------------------------

------- Deisler --------------------------------- Ze Roberto --------

----------------------------- Ballack -------------------------------

----------------- Pizarro ------------- Makaay ----------------------


------------------------------
--- Magath [B A Y E R N] ---
------------------------------

1. Even though Hasan Salihamidzic had a good game in the first leg but he still lacked that edge. That penetrative move or that bit of skill that can do the trick. Deisler possesses that ability and a good curler of a free-kick to accompany it if need be. He may very well get the nod.

2. Makaay needs to step up for Bayern and he knows it. He had a poor game and tonight Bayern will be hoping for a goal or two from the brilliant marksman. He is a cool finisher so if he gets the delivery he could well be on the scoresheet tonight.

3. Bayern don't like playing Milan and they don't like playing Milan in the San Siro. That credit goes to the team but also the rossoneri tifosi who support the team and make it harder for the visitors. Bayern will be hoping to reverse that trend and silence the full house as they have the ability to defeat Milan. Going by Magath's comments, I don't think he has paid attention to this aspect at all.

4. Demichelis had a good game to keep Kaka in check and he will try to keep him quiet. Magath identified Shevchenko as the Milan man to look at. Either he is smart or he has not done his homework correctly. I think that the key tonight for his team will be to stop Pirlo and Kaka. Pirlo for making the team click and Kaka for the finishing. The likeliest scorer for Milan is Kaka tonight. The Prodigy of world football. That's his name.


KEY BATTLES
==========

1. Kaka Vs. Demichelis

2. Shevchenko Vs. Lucio

3. Pirlo Vs. Deisler

4. Vogel Vs. Ballack

5. Nesta Vs. Makaay


KEY MEN
=======

Pirlo

Been a while since Pirlo had a massive UCL game. When he plays well, Milan do well and in tonight's game he is the key for orchestrating Milan's qualification to the QF. If he is on song then Bayern will find it really difficult to counter a Milan side being commandeered by Pirlo. Set-pieces also help in such games and Pirlo has a fantastic free-kick now. If Pirlo gets subbed due to bad form then we are having a rough night which will get rougher.


Makaay

The Phantom is a deadly striker and on his day can wreak havoc. He can score away from home and that is endorsed by the fact that he is playing at Bayern; a team he destroyed single-handedly in the Olimpiastadion in 2002-3. Makaay has to step-up and take centre-stage for Bayern as Ballack will be closely guarded.

PREDICTION

Wow! What a tough cookie to predict. I was quite double-minded a fortnight ago and took my time to predict that one. This one has a lot of other factors to account for. There is a law of averages going against Milan while the form is in Milan's favour. Milan's last UCL home game was a good one against the German side Schalke. I always felt that when this draw was made that Milan needed 2 away goals to be on the safe side in this tie. That didn't happen but who are we kidding? It could've been much worse than a 1-1 so the team did really well to get to this point with a fighting chance to qualify for the QF.

I would've had a devilish smile on my face if Milan was in Bayern's position. Thinking about it hard gives me the impression that Bayern may not win in the San Siro unless Milan self-destructs in dramatic fashion which is a possibility albeit a rarity. Bayern can however go through on penalties if it is 1-1 or they can go through on 2-2. Their best chance is the 2-2 to qualify. The situation and build-up has tilted the tie in Bayern's favour slightly but it is not that bad as Ancelotti's side plays well against the odds.

The referee needs to have a clean game. I hope he is sharp enough, fair enough and alert enough to make it a clean game and fair game because it is a shame if the referee starts making a hash of things.

A night of drama awaits us. Keep believing till the end. Only the UCL ... only the UCL can do this. :shades:

--->>> I don't know the scoreline ... I think Milan will crawl to the finishing line in a dramatic game full of emotions for both sides. The fans led by the Curva Sud will help for that decisive final push.

Originally Posted by hottie

they so lucky ((((( like omg did u see the second goal? the goal keaper accidently drop the ball from his hands,and he had such a brialiant perfomance until then werden must feel now like milan last season in the finals,fuking lucky idiots!

Sweetheart, beautiful girls like you look even better when they don't use those words...

Haroon, as usual, an excellent post, that unfortunately, has the butterflies flitting around in my stomach like never before.

I agree with most, if not all of your analysis, and I must say we have missed you in these forums recently.

I hope all is well with you, and that, as you indicated, Pirlo shows us his class, and Kaka scores the goals....though I think that Pippo will be in on the goals as well, and I hope he starts...this may go against what I posted earlier...but now I am a nervous wreck, and can harldy focus on breathing, much less on what I posted in the past!

FORZA MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILAN!!

As Sizzla says:

Rise to the occasion
Go ahead you know you´re strong..
No one can stop you

OH MY GOD I CANT wAIT IM DIEING FROM PRESSURE

I hope Pippo can make a hat trick tonight and there's no concession as well.

game live on the net anywhere?
anyone?!?!?!?! help!!!!!!!!!!

We are making history tonight..AC Milan - Bayern 5-0 (Sheva 5x)

This will be very hard game, it will be maybe 0-0 or 1-1 on the end....

FORZA MILAN!!!

FYI, I will be watching the game on ESPN... 1:45 pm USA Pacific time... (game starts at 2pm)

Originally Posted by SANT

FYI, I will be watching the game on ESPN... 1:45 pm USA Pacific time... (game starts at 2pm)

i thought , i am sure actually, the games starts at 11-45 am PST

MILAN-BAYERN: OFFICIAL LINE-UPS
08/03/2006

MILAN: Dida; Stam, Nesta, Kaladze, Serginho; Vogel, Pirlo, Seedorf; Kakà; Shevchenko, Inzaghi. Coach: Ancelotti.

Subs: Kalac, Simic, Costacurta, Jankulovski, Ambrosini, Rui Costa, Gilardino.

From ACMilan.com

Is there a live stream anywhere guys

gooooaaallll Inzaghi

Inzaghi!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Serginho with the cross in and Inzaghi gets his head to it. Milan could not have asked for a better start.

its just tooooo easyyyy miiiiiiillllaaaaaannnnnnn