UEFA Cup woe and meeting with the Rossoneri

By: Rolf | March 1st, 2009

So, after getting our heads handed to us by Metalist Kharkov or whatever, we’ve got one thing left to fight for; the Coppa Italia. Others will say we have a relegation fight coming up as well but I refuse to give in to talk like that. This squad is far to good to be relegated.

However, before we keep on in our Coppa charge we’ve got a certain Milan team to deal with.
They got kicked out of the UEFA Cup as well, though they bowed out with a bit more dignity.
So we have to teams who played and lost on Thursday (Milan didn’t really lose but it certainly felt like a loss), and both teams are going through injury crisises, our a minor one but Milan are in really bad shape with Gennaro Gattuso, Marco Borriello, Alessandro Nesta, Zeljko Kalac, Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko and Daniele Bonera out.
We’re still missing Delvecchio, Gastaldello and Nenad Kristic are out with injuries and Bellucci is suspended, but let’s admit it: Milan wins the infirmary battle.
The battle on the pitch on the other hand…
We haven’t lost in FIVE matches, we recently helf Juve at their own ground and we defeated a troublesome Atalanta side. Surely something to be proud of, eh? Meanwhile, the Milanese have slumped to draws against Reggina and Genoa (okay, “slumped” might not be the word with Genoa), and they recently lost out to Inter in the derby courtesy of a volleyball beauty from Adriano. The stuff the other Milanese are getting away with borders on the ridiculous, but still:
Milan are in bad shape.
Statistically we shouldn’t be too optimistic, as we have only defeated Milan, uh, ONCE at home over the last ten years. Milan have always been Doria’s bogey-team (together with Barca), beating us in UEFA Super Cup and Supercoppa finals during the Golden Era, and trouncing us 5-0 at the Ferraris last season.

Still, I have this funny feeling AGAIN. With Nesta out Kaladze might start and we all know what Kaladze means right? Free chances given away within the last 16. Yummy. Partnering Kaladze will be either Maldini or Favalli, Maldini is the greatest defender the world has ever seen while Favalli is…Favalli. Both of them are what you’d call dead slow, so as long as our players don’t seek one-on-ones with Maldini and just focus on sprinting behind them we should be fine.
In goal for the Milanese however, will be the brilliant Abbiati. So we’re not THAT fine.
The Milan midfield are crammed with players who were serious contenders for the BAllon d’Or about 5 years ago, unless Ancelotti sends Flamini out to play.
Up front for Milan however, we find a formiable duo of Pato & Inzaghi, both of them extremely dangerous in their own right. Iv’e never missed Gastaldello so much before.
What I don’t miss however, is the days when we didn’t have Pazzini. It’s now 4 goals in 4 games, and I don’t think anyon will argue this guy is arguably our most lethal player since Mancini ran rampant through defences back in the 90′ies. Partnering is the slightly less lethal but slightly more joker-like Cassano. I think it’s safe to assume that if the right Cassano turns up then the Milan defence will have one hell of a time stopping him and Pazzini.

Probable line-up: Castellazzi; Accardi, Lucchini, Raggi; Pieri, Franceschini, Palombo, Sammarco, Padalino; Cassano, Pazzini

Key battles:
Pato & Inzaghi vs the Doria defence = Pato has becoma a master at ripping defences apart lately, and joining him is the ultimate master of poaching, Pippo Inzaghi.
I can’t help but predict at least one Milan goal today.

Pazzini and Cassano vs the old guard = We really should get something from this. Abbiati will be a nuisance but a nuisance we should be able to overcome.

Predictions: I think at least one goal for either side is likely, and so the victor will be the one who scores one goal more than that. Simple, really. And bearing in mind that our last victories against the Rossoneri have come through 2-1 victories, the likely outcome in my Blucerchiati-warped mind is…

Game: Sampdoria 2-1 Milan
Goals: Cassano 12′, Pato 41′, Pazzini 75′
MOTM: Cassano

DORIA ‘OLE!!!