Wednesday, May 02, 2007
♥ 10:25 pm
2 May 2007, 1945 GMT: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
Milan AC (2) vs Manchester United (3)
This game should be more absorbing that the rather stale all-England semi-final. Milan know that United's backline is, well, makeshift, and that they need to score. Although Vidic and Ferdinand may be back, expecting them to hold up against Kaka and co. (who must score) and not being 100% match-fit may be a bit risky. I would possibly play one of them (the most match-fit one) for maybe an hour, before re-assessing to see whether there is a need to send on the other one.
Much has been made of Milan's relative lack of injury problems. However, i feel that the absence of Maldini will be crucial. When he (and Gattuso, who is expected to play) is out, the Milan defence crumbled against the United onslaught. Missing Maldini must not be underestimated, and the aging Milan backline might not be able to keep out the quick and pacy United attack, led by Ronaldo and Rooney, orchestrated by Scholes and Carrick. A goal here for United might be enough, as i don't really see Milan scoring twice. Gilardino and Inzaghi don't exactly scare defences, and i think Milan's goals will come from Kaka and maybe Seedorf.
The same thing cannot be said of United, who can score from anywhere (Ronaldo, Rooney, Smith, Giggs, Scholes,).
The point that no one had talked about was the yellow-card factor. Scholes, Ronaldo both have a yellow card, meaning that if they pick up another one, they would be suspended from the final (if they make it there). Will that play on their head?
I can see United scoring in Milan, ever since Roma they have been scoring for fun. However, their leaky backline (i forgot when they last kept a clean sheet) is a problem. If Kaka can score twice at OT, he can do it in Milan.
Prediction? My heart says United, and so does my head (although on a much thinner edge). 1-1, with United equalizing in the 2nd half.
Labels: Football