Rematch of the 1993 European Cup final

Milan will take on Marseille in a few hours to kick off their 2009-10 Champions League campaign. Milan are the bookies’ favourite but not by much and this is not a surprise for a few reasons.

One is that Milan do not have a good record on the road in Europe. In their last ten matches Milan have only collected three wins. Two, in five matches played under Ancelotti in France, Milan disappointingly claimed three draws and two
draws. So the statistics are not encouraging. Lastly and most importantly, Milan have been hugely disappointing so far this season only scrambling to a nil all draw against lowly Livorno on the weekend. Alternatively, Marseille have had a good start to the season and they will be more than formidable opponents.

Pirlo for trequartista

There has been rumour that Leo may drop Ronaldinho to the bench and play Pirlo as trequartista. This is absolutely the right move by Leo. Dinho should be treated just like any other player and just like any other player who does not perform he should be dropped. Also, Milan were a completely different side when Pirlo came on for Dinho against Livorno. Though he was restricted to left side of midfield, Pirlo orchestrated everything good for Milan in the second half.

If Leo allows Pirlo more freedom by playing him in the hole behind the two strikers then Milan may just start where they left of against Livorno.

Another thing. Huntelaar must start. His debut against Livorno was less than impressive but this was mainly due to the non-existant service from the Milan midfield. Huntelaar needs to start, he needs to be given a chance. With Pirlo playing in behind him Milan will create opportunities. Also, Huntelaar and Pato need to play together as much as possible. They need to strike up a partnership because only then may Milan actually achieve anything this season.

Team news

Milan are still without Di Gennaro, Abbiati, Bonera, Gattuso and Borriello due to injuries. Expect Zambrotta to be cast into the side following his rest over the weekend.

Expected Lineup: Storari; Zambrotta, Nesta, Thiago, Janku; Flamini, Ambrosini, Seedorf; Pirlo; Huntelaar, Pato