UEFA Champions League preview: AJ Auxerre – AC Milan
Lingering hope for Fernandes
The draws to the UEFA Champions League could not have been any crueller on the French minnows. No fourth-pot team in the world would fancy playing against the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan and Ajax Amsterdam. However, for Fernandes’ men, it was a dream come
true and a moment of honour.
Auxerre have had a bizarre campaign so far as they have recorded three losses and a single victory. Yet, they are still in contention for a place in the next round. AJA proved their resilience as they inflicted a defeat on Ajax on match day four despite
being ravaged by injuries. With the a lot of star players returning to the line up and Auxerre undefeated in their last eight games, the French dressing room will be brimming with optimism.
The European minnows have nothing to lose in the competition and will be playing with utmost pride and dedication. The same sentiments were voiced by Jean Fernandes in the build up to this game when he said,
"Our win against Ajax was great for us. We had played well before that but we were lacking something. Those three points were good for confidence. We have an advantage because we are playing at home, and have nothing to lose. We were drawn in a very difficult
group but we have shown that we can produce great performances.”
Rossoneri proving their steel
AC Milan’s CEO Adriano Galliani would often boast about Champions League being in the Rossoneri DNA but opposite has been true for Davioli this season. Where Milan have stuttered on the continental stage, their domestic season is taking one of the smoothest
rides. Following a somewhat nervy start to the Serie A, AC Milan have conquered pitches right, left and centre and sit three points clear at the top.
On the continental front, Rossoneri have registered just 5 points from the opening four games – Champions League DNA indeed – and their progression to the next round is far from being guaranteed.
However, with Real Madrid already negotiated, Allegri will be confident of registering a victory tonight. Should Real Madrid win against Ajax at Amsterdam Arena, AC Milan will cement themselves a place in the knock-out stage.
Team News
AJ Auxerre
Fernandes will have to do without the services of Cedric Hengbart, Yaya Sanogo, Alexandre Licata and Ireneusz Jelen. Anthony Le Tallec is expected to recover for the trip to Santiago Bernabeau while Delvin N’Dinga and Jeremy Berthod’s inclusion will depend
on a last minute fitness test.
AC Milan
AC Milan have been playing without the services of Luca Antonini, Filippo Inzaghi, Alexandre Pato and Massimo Oddo for some time now and little is expected to improve. To make matters worse, Andrea Pirlo has also been ruled out of the game with a thigh problem.
Key Players
Stephane Grichting
The stout defender has recently declared that Auxerre can beat AC Milan in the upcoming game. The centre back will have to back up his words with a matching performance on the pitch. Grichting’s task won’t be made any easier by the fact that the Swiss defender
will have to mark Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, should Stephane manage to shackle Ibra, Auxerre will take a big step towards getting a result.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The lanky Swede has taken Serie A by storm upon his return from Spain and his Champions League form has been impressive too. With Rossoneri posing little goal scoring threat in his absence, Ibra must find the back of the net for Milan to register a victory.
Prediction
Despite being in impressive form of late, Auxerre simply cannot match the might of Milan. Rossoneri are experts in eking out desired results particularly against inferior oppositions and tonight should be no different. AC Milan to register a narrow 2 – 1
victory tonight!
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