Champions League: Milan Try Not to Stink Up the San Siro; Lazio in Germany

By: Martha | October 24th, 2007

I will score on your asses. Stumbling (but not in crisis, dammit) Milan welcome Group D leaders Shakhtar Donetsk to the San Siro today, without their first-choice keeper and in desperate need of three points. Sweet. Never fear, though — Carlo Ancelotti isn’t worried at all, and doesn’t plan to make many changes to his team ahead of the visit of the Ukrainians. (You know, because if it ain’t broke … oh, wait.) There will be at least one change, though, because even though Paolo Maldini is back, he can’t play two games in a row even when healthy, so he’ll be replaced in the middle of the back, probably by Kakha Kaladze. In good news, Kaka has recovered from a knock to his knee and is expected to start today behind one of those non-scoring strikers. Shakhtar, for their part, are not only top of the Ukrainian league and totally healthy, but also feature a striker by the name of Cristiano Lucarelli who eats up Milan and will be eager to add to his goal total against them.

Lazio, meanwhile, travel to Werder Bremen in totally unpredictable form, having held Real Madrid at home on Matchday 2, only to turn around and be demolished by Milan and just barely beat Serie A doormat Livorno last weekend. Add to that a massive injury list (Stefano Mauri, Sebastiano Siviglia, Emilson Cribari and Cristian Ledesma are all out, while Valon Behrami, Massimo Mutarelli and Goran Pandev are not 100% but are expected to play anyway) and the facts that their opponents are mostly healthy, playing well at home, and desperate for their first Champions League point, and you’ve got a recipe for serious nerves if you’re a Lazio supporter. Plus, if you trust statistics and form, the German club haven’t lost to an Italian side in nine consecutive matches at home. Oh dear.

Keep an eye on our Milan and Lazio (If Taib is still alive.) sites for appropriately biased reactions and or/previews.