What’s that You Say? The Champions League is Coming?

By: Martha | November 21st, 2006

Gleeful Inter lads. Why, so it is. I’ve been trying to pretend there are no games this week because, thanks to those damned pilgrims, I’ll be traveling to the heartland tonight to be with my family through the weekend. While of course the family bit is a good thing, it’s rather a major drawback that none of my relatives has bothered to get ESPN Deportes, RAI or GolTV in preparation for my arrival, so I’ll miss not only all of tomorrow’s games, but also this week’s UEFA Cup games and the Serie A matches on Saturday — never fear, though, they’ll be waiting for me in the PVR when I get home. (Bloody familial obligations, getting in the way of my football.)

Anyway, my whining aside, here’s what the Italians are facing:

•Milan, whose Champions League success is probably the only reason Carlo Ancelotti still has a job, are in Athens preparing to play AEK Athens tonight. AEK are currently a distant third in Group H on four points, while Milan have 10 and are five clear of second-place Lille. Since Kaka has been saving all his scoring for CL matches, look for him to put in several all by himself.

•Inter, meanwhile, are home to Sporting Lisbon tomorrow. Group B is pretty tight, with Bayern on top with 10 points, Inter second with six, and Sporting just a point back of them. Given Inter’s dismal start, it’s a miracle they’re in such a good position; they’ll certainly be praying the good form continues, even without the vaguely injured Julio Cruz (who has becomes Inter’s David Trezeguet: Scoring key, almost accidental goals and getting wins, whether they’re deserved or not).

•And, finally, there’s Roma, who need a win in Donetsk to assure advancement — if they don’t put at least five goals past Shakhtar, I’m going to be pissed. The Ukranian club are bottom of the group, and were beaten 4-0 by Roma in the away leg back in September. They have, however, played well at home so far (two draws in two matches), so the match will probably be a good test of Roma’s mettle. I just hope there aren’t any cultural misunderstandings about Spalletti and his handshaking habits.