UCL Final - Milan vs. Liverpool... Athens, May 23rd

I can't wait to see how long this thread is going to get before the 23rd!

I've been forced to rest my revolutionary Good-hair Theory, because though it rained yesterday, our hair was flat and we looked like wet cats, STILL we managed to win. Stop proving me wrong Milan.

There was a bit on the official site about the 'important of the dates' and if I remember correctly, someone had posted something similar to that before the 2005 final. We've already talked about the 07 in 2007, but anyone have any other crack/number theories?

I have given myself 20 days to to come up with a kick-ass banner I can print out and stick on my living-room wall, so everyone can see that AC Milan is in the finals. Dad's going to be so embarassed.

Now this isn't the best graphic ever, but my brain wouldn't calm down and I just couldn't resist that picture of Ricky viciously praying in the rain.

Originally Posted by Tony29.

This year Liverpool ain't no rookie. They are as experienced as Milan is and much more than 4/5 of ManU's team.

3 UCL finals, 4 UCL Semis, WC Final etc....In term of experience, no team in the world come close and i do mean no team.

No defence in the world can stop us from scoring, they can pack 11 in their own half and we would still score.

The only thing that can stop Milan is Milan. As long as the players stay focus and keep fighting, we will beat Liverpool and do it convincingly.

My prediction for the match: Milan 4-0 Liverpool

How did Shevshanko miss that double chance at the end of extra time in 2005?

He was not good enough. He had to be sold.

And now he cannot get into Chelsea team.

In terms of experience i just point out that Paolo Maldini will reach Francisco Gento's record of 8 CL Finals played...

Originally Posted by rome1977

How did Shevshanko miss that double chance at the end of extra time in 2005?

He was not good enough. He had to be sold.

And now he cannot get into Chelsea team.

True. A player of his power would have buried Dudek two meters inside the goal from that distance. But that's the past.
We can have our revenge. I can't wait.

I cannot wait either. Yes, the luck was with the englanders that night. Dudek used all his luck in those 2 seconds.

Will Maldini be able to cope with the pace of Kuyt and Bellamy, or the aerial threat of Crouch?

it sounds liverpool are very afraid of us

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is wary of the threat posed by Milan to their dreams of winning the UEFA Champions League later this month.

The two European giants will lock horns in Athens on 23rd May in a repeat of their 2005 classic final.

Liverpool beat Milan on penalties in 2005 after they came from three goals down to send the game into a dreaded penalty shoot-out.

Benitez knows Milan will driven on by the opportunity of exacting revenge and he believes the Rossoneri are a better side from two years ago.

"It's clear we are going to play a team with players with a great attitude and quality," said Benitez.

"You could see by how hard they worked last night. They are desperate to win the Champions League and after what happened two years ago we must be very careful.

"They are a very dangerous opponent for us."

Benitez has called on his players to ignore all the hype over the final and concentrate on their preparations for the showpiece event.

"We must focus on the final," added Benitez. "The hard work for the players begins now. The final is not today, it is in a few weeks time and we must start our preparation from this moment.

"Some people think because we won two years ago and we also beat Chelsea we will do it again, but this is not the right message.

"You do not win a trophy for winning a semi-final. Playing well in the final is what's important now.

"They (Milan) are strong in every position. Defensively they are good, they have excellent strikers and in players like Gennaro Gattuso and Kaka they have two of the best players in the world.

"They are a team we will show a lot of respect to.

"I have said many times we are stronger now than we were two years ago but I also believe Milan are a better side than they were when we last played each other."

source ;
http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?...+wary+of+Milan

The only reason i'm afraid of Liverpool is Benitez. He studied with Sacchi and he's a coach of Italian school..i think he took a degree in football coaching in Coverciano too, the temple of Italian coaching school.

He's knows strategy, and he knows italian football. But if Milan plays a la Milan we have nothing to be afraid.

its time for revenge, Italy did it to France, Milan wil follow suit.

Benítez was born into a middle class family in Madrid. His father, Francisco Benítez, worked as a hotelier, while his mother, Rosario Maudes, worked as a nurse. His mother was the bigger football fan and supported Real Madrid while his father supported Atlético Madrid. Francisco died in December 2005 while Benítez was in Japan for the FIFA Club World Championship.

He is the second of three children. His older brother, also called Francisco, was born in 1959, while his younger sister, called Rosario, was born several years later. Both studied veterinary science and Rosario later became a vet.

In 1998 Benítez married his wife Montse, a Doctor of Law born in Ourense. They have two daughters, Claudia, who was born in Madrid in 1999, and Agatha who was born in Valencia in 2002.

The young Benítez attended several schools throughout Madrid and played for various school teams. Among his school friends and team mates was Ricardo Gallego. He also showed his early potential as a coach when at the age of thirteen he began training a children’s football team. At the age of twelve Benítez joined the Real Madrid cantera.

He progressed through the ranks, playing as a midfielder for both Real Madrid Afcionados in the Tercera División and Castilla CF, in the Segunda División. He also enrolled as a student at INEF, the sports faculty at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and in 1982 he obtained a degree in Physical Education.

In 1979 Benítez was selected to play for the Spain Universities XI at the World Student Games in Mexico City and he scored a penalty in the opening game, a 4-0 win against Cuba. In the next game, a 0-0 draw against Canada, he was injured following a hard tackle. The injury saw him sidelined for a year and effectively ended his chances of becoming a major player. In 1981 Benítez joined Tercera División side AD Parla. Initially he joined Parla on loan, but eventually signed for them permanently and helped them gain promotion to Segunda División B. He also played a further three games for the Spain Universities XI. In 1985 he signed for Segunda División B club Linares CF and under Enrique Mateos he served as a player/coach. Further injury problems saw him miss almost the entire 1985-86 season and he subsequently retired as a player.

Benitez is trying to push Liverpool in underdog position, that's their favorite position. Well they are favorites, we're not. As my good friend Mr. Viera the Inter-Juventus lowlife hybrid says : Milan shouldn't even be playing in the CL this year.

we have to win it in normal time this time.

Reina is arguably the best penalty stopper in the world.

Reina aint going to handle kaka or the rest of milan,

this aint 2005,

We beat the best team on the planet, and our defence handled rooney, and Mr diver.

Liverpool dont have the players what Man utd have.

if we handle Gerrard and Durk. Bean pole.

we will crush liverpool like a bug

we'll need a step-ladder to cope with Crouch.

That article doesn't show Benitez being scared of Milan at all, he's being cautious, respectful and tactical.

Naturally Liverpool don't have as many match winning players as other teams, like a Chelsea, Man Utd or whoever else. However given how much scorn we gave some of the man utd fans who came here recently after they said they'd do this and that to us, some people would be wise not to do the same as them and underestimate the Liverpool players or their team spirit.

That said, i would want Milan to win this one as given the events of this season, it would be a truly remarkable achievement and a just reward.