Derby with a difference

High stakes as AC Milan faces Inter Milan in European semi

MILAN (Reuters) -- There are few things in football that Paolo Maldini has not experienced but even the AC Milan captain has to concede that Wednesday's derby with Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal will be a unique occasion.

Counting all competitions it will be the 254th Milan derby meeting but never has the clash been in the spotlight as much as this game and never have the stakes been so high for both clubs.

"It will be a strange event -- a foreign referee, played over two games, 180 minutes rather than 90 minutes in the championship," 34-year-old Maldini, who played in his first derby back in 1985, told Web site Goalcity.

"We have played them over two-legs before in the Italian Cup of course but I would be lying if I said this wasn't an occasion to savor," added the defender who is his country's most capped player of all time.

The Milan derby has had a vital say in the outcome of several Italian championship races but this time the prize is a place in the May 28th Champions League final in Manchester against either fellow Italians Juventus or defending European champion Real Madrid.

Few would like to bet on the outcome of the two games at the San Siro stadium that both clubs call home but Maldini says with so much at stake total commitment is guaranteed.

Character needed

"We have to approach Wednesday's game simply as if it was the final itself. It would be unforgivable to play without character in this match but knowing my team mates as I do that is not something I am even willing to consider," he said.

Milan has enjoyed the better of the meetings in recent years and won both derbies in Serie A this season but Inter captain Javier Zanetti, the club's longest serving player, says past form will count for little.

"Everyone has Milan down as favourites but I don't see such a big difference between the two teams. We didn't deserve to lose those games against them this season.

"This time we won't let our fans down though, we will fight from the first minute until the last. I am convinced that you win derbies by heart," said the Argentine.

It is not only form that points towards Milan having the advantage -- while Carlo Ancelotti's side have all their key players available, Inter will be without their top scorer in Serie A this season, burly striker Christian Vieri who is sidelined with a knee injury.

Inter coach Hector Cuper is expected to field fellow Argentine Hernan Crespo in attack along with another South American, Uruguayan Alvaro Recoba.

Cuper's main problem is in midfield where Cristiano Zanetti is suspended and his most likely replacement, Frenchman Stephane Dalmat is not at 100 percent.

Milan has been boosted by the return from injury of midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf although the former is likely to start on the bench.

Ancelotti will have to decide whether to stick with his preferred option of Andriy Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi in attack with Rui Costa operating behind them or whether to give space to Brazilians Rivaldo or Serginho.

The pace and dribbling of Serginho has troubled Inter in derby games over the past three seasons and the little winger is likely to feature at some stage in the match.

Probable teams:

Milan: 12-Dida; 19-Alessandro Costacurta, 13-Alessandro Nesta, 3-Paolo Maldini, 4-Kakha Kaladze; 32-Cristian Brocchi, 8-Gennaro Gattuso, 20-Clarence Seedorf; 10-Rui Costa; 7-Andriy Shevchenko, 9-Filippo Inzaghi.

Inter: 1-Francesco Toldo; 4-Javier Zanetti, 13-Fabio Cannavaro, 23-Marco Materazzi, 2-Ivan Cordoba; 7-Sergio Conceicao, 14-Luigi Di Biagio, 18-Stephane Dalmat, 5-Belozoglu Emre; 9-Hernan Crespo, 20-Alvaro Recoba

Referee: Valentin Ivanov (Russia)

Milanese ready for a taste of football heaven

MILAN (Reuters) -- "Football in heaven" declared the headline in Tuesday's Gazzetta dello Sport as Italy began two weeks on the center stage of European football and nowhere in the country feels more sky-high than Milan.

Turin-based Juventus take on defending European champions Real Madrid in their semifinal, first-leg match in Spain later on Tuesday but Wednesday's derby between AC Milan and Inter is the strongest proof of Italy's Champions League revival.

Milan has long claimed to be the capital not only of Italian football but the game in general. It is home to two of the continent's most famous clubs and one of the world's most spectacular stadiums and is the center of the football business.

The city's hotels have been the venues for record-breaking transfer deals involving the planet's greatest players.

And without the pressure of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is also the president of Milan, combined with the threat of a breakaway led by an Italian company, the Champions League might never have replaced the old knock-out European Cup as the continent's premier competition.

Despite all that power and influence in the city, status in football is still determined by results and it is the presence of the two Milan clubs in the last four of this year's tournament that is giving the Milanese the most satisfaction.

"Above all I am proud for Milan and Inter," said Berlusconi who made his fortune in the city before moving into politics.

"But I also hope that later we can see an all-Italian final. This will be a more interesting derby than the others but it is still too soon to open a new era," he said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper published on Tuesday.

Violence rare

The eyes of the soccer world will be focused on the towering San Siro stadium on Wednesday with millions of fans from across the globe given a chance to taste the 95-year-long rivalry between the two Milan clubs via television.

There will be no shortage of atmosphere or color but, unlike in other cities, the Milan derby rarely turns violent.

"The Romans are more passionate -- they are two tribes. The Milanese are self-mocking," says Beppe Severgnini author of a book on the meaning of being an Inter fan.

Before the kickoff at derbies, hardcore fans behind the goals, known as ultras, unveil huge banners which take weeks to prepare and are emblazoned with slogans designed to embarrass their rivals.

Sociology professor Italo Piccolo says humour and one-upmanship characterize the Milan derby more than aggression.

"It is much more elegant to make fun of the other team rather than to use violence. Milan has never had that kind of 'enemy attitude' among its fans."

Image boost

For a city that gives such importance to image, the success of the two Milan clubs this season is a major boost.

"This semifinal is very, very important for the region. To have two teams from the same city and three from northern Italy among the best four teams in Europe is a great achievement," Roberto Formigoni, president of the region of Lombardy which includes Milan, told Reuters.

But above all, Wednesday's game belongs to the city's fans and this time the rivalry between the "cousins" divided between the blue and black of Inter and the red and black of Milan is more intense than ever.

"The atmosphere at the derby games is incredible and this time it will be more amazing than ever before. Whoever loses this one is going to do it in front of all of Europe," says Milan fan Anna Paola Moroni.

Like many fans she is part of a family whose loyalties are divided between the two clubs.

"Whenever we beat Inter, I make fun of my sister for a whole month and this time it's going to be a lot worse."

 

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