Juve seeks repeat performance in final

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -- Juventus coach Marcello Lippi wants to see the same combination of technique and intensity that earned his side victory over Real Madrid when they play AC Milan in Wednesday's Champions League final.

Juventus produced a stunning all-round display to beat the reigning European champions 3-1 in Turin and complete a 4-3 aggregate win in the semifinals.

Like Real, Milan are adept at keeping possession for long periods before bursting into attack and even though Juve's inspirational Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved will be missing through suspension Lippi wants to see a similar performance.

"It would be ideal to produce the same type of game as against Real," Lippi said on Tuesday. "We were excellent both technically and in terms of the intensity we showed.

"Milan certainly enjoy a high amount of ball possession, higher than any other Italian side, and a performance like the one against Real would be great."

Apart from Nedved, Lippi will have a full squad to choose from but the coach knows the team will have to be mentally prepared as well as physically sound.

"We're in great shape, physically speaking," said Lippi, who was in his first spell as Juventus coach when the club won the Champions League in 1996 and lost the next two finals.

"An exceptional performance requires an exceptional mental performance as well, though."

Muscular team

Juventus have sometimes been accused of concentrating more on the physical aspect of their game than in playing adventurous football but Lippi, who was in charge at the club from 1994 to 1999 before returning in 2001, believes his team can combine strength and style.

"From 1994 it seems we've carried the stamp of a muscular team on our foreheads," Lippi said.

"We were prepared to use our physical strength but that's a compliment because we were playing at the highest technical level.

"In terms of technique this is a great side and we're capable of expressing ourselves at a high physical level as well."

The reputation of Italian teams for producing cagey performances, especially in big games, has led many commentators to predict a dull match on Wednesday but striker Alessandro Del Piero says they will be aiming for a memorable spectacle.

"As a team we need to outperform against Milan, play at the highest level and produce a great match," said Del Piero, who played for Juventus in those three finals from 1996 to '98.

"We lost a couple of finals but I don't think we played badly on those occasions.

"We know what to do in Wednesday's game. We don't have the added factor of being at home or away and we'll be trying to score as many goals as possible."

Lippi keeps Milan guessing on Nedved replacement

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -- Juventus coach Marcello Lippi has almost certainly made up his mind about how to replace Pavel Nedved in the Champions League final, but AC Milan will have to wait until just before kick off to find out.

Midfielder Nedved misses Wednesday's game through suspension after picking up a third yellow card in the tournament for a foul near the end of the 3-1 semifinal, second leg win over Real Madrid.

The Czech scored in that game against the defending champions and has been the inspiration behind Juve's second successive Italian title win this season.

Asked at a pre-match news conference on Tuesday about his ideas for replacing Nedved, Lippi said he had tried out a number of options in training last week.

"I have quite clear ideas, we haven't worked on one option but on several solutions that might be needed during the course of the game," said the Juve coach.

The most obvious starting solution would be to bring Argentine-born winger Mauro Camoranesi in on the right flank and ask the versatile Gianluca Zambrotta to switch to the left.

Lippi, though, was not willing to give even the slightest acknowledgement that Camoranesi -- now part of the Italy squad after settling in well at Juve following his close season move from Verona -- would be in the starting line-up.

"We have had 15 days to recover from the game against Real and everyone, all 23 players here ... are in excellent condition, including Camoranesi," said Lippi.

Davids wide

Another possibility would be to ask Croatian utility man Igor Tudor to join Alessio Tacchinardi in the centre of midfield and push Dutchman Edgar Davids out wider on the left.

That would create a robust midfield but one that would perhaps lack the attacking edge that Nedved has provided on the road to the final.

Should Lippi opt for a more positive approach, he could draft in striker Marco Di Vaio and play him and Alessandro Del Piero as support to Frenchman David Trezeguet with a sturdy midfield trio behind -- a system that has worked to good effect on occasions this season.

It is not even clear who the left-sided player would be up against as Milan are waiting on the fitness of right-back Alessandro Costacurta, with Brazilian Roque Junior and Croatian Dario Simic on standby.

Lippi was clear about one thing though -- his squad is well capable of adapting to playing without Nedved.

"It has been one of our characteristics throughout this season that the squad has shown it can compensate for important absentees such as Del Piero, Tudor and Trezeguet," he said.

"Nedved has certainly been a very important part of all our work this season, but he will be missing for just one game. That is important for him of course, as he wanted so much to be on the field, but the team will find a solution."

 

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