Champions League previews: AC Milan v Real Madrid
The last time he was in Milan, José Mourinho could have walked across any of the five rivers of the province – well, in the eyes of half of the city anyway.
Having guided Internazionale to their first European Cup triumph in 45 years, and a first ever treble in the process, Mourinho left Inter for Real Madrid, and is already well on the way to being as accepted in the Spanish capital at he was in the English one with Chelsea. It’ll get even stronger if he can beat AC Milan in the San Siro.
Mourinho creates strong bonds with his players, yet when he moves on, that creates a burning desire to beat him, and it’s a desire that is strong in many of the continent’s best players.
“I had a beautiful relationship with Mourinho,” said Zlatan Ibrahimovic, these days back in Milan with AC after a brief stop-off in Barcelona. “I spent a fantastic year at Inter with him, but I'll go out on the pitch to win and I won't be thinking about him.
Nor should he be, Milan have revenge in mind following a weak 2-0 defeat at the Bernabeu two weeks ago.
“We'll do everything opposite to what we did in the first game,” continued Ibrahimovic.
“They dominated at the Bernabeu. We were slow and not ruthless enough. Luckily there is another game to play and by doing things differently than in the game in Madrid we can win and show that we are as strong as Madrid, if not stronger.”
Real go into the game with a perfect record of three wins out of three – all without conceding a goal – and so a victory would ensure qualification, with Milan needing a win if they are to have any hope of winning the group.
Elsewhere in Group G, Ajax go to Auxerre in a repeat of last month’s match which saw three goals and three red cards – one of which to Auxerre substitute Jean-Pascal Mignot, who never actually got onto the pitch.
The French side have lost all three of their group matches so far, and will need a win if they are to stand a chance of third place and Europa League qualification.
In Group E, Roma head for Basel looking to make up for their 3-1 defeat in the Italian capital last time out, and desperate for a win to ease the pressure on boss Claudio Ranieri. The hosts are top of the Swiss League, and a win here could see them move closer to Bayern Munich at the top.
Bayern will be in Transylvania taking on Cluj, and looking for a repeat of the good fortune they got when taking on the Romanians in Munich, when two own goals helped them to a 3-2 win. Coach Louis van Gaal and President Uli Hoeness have put their high-profile feud behind them this week, with a statement on the club website confirming that the pair had reached a compromise. Lose here, and that compromise may not last long.
Marseille head for Slovakia to take on MSK Žilina, no doubt hoping that Chelsea can beat Spartak Moscow to give the French side a better chance of finishing second, while Braga go to Partizan Belgrade in the hope that Arsenal can do them the same favour in Donetsk. The English sides – with three wins from three – hold the keys to Groups F and H in more ways than one.
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