Feb 20-21st : 9-man Inter Milan held by Sampdoria but still lead Serie A

Inter Milan 0-0 Sampdoria

Leaders Inter Milan had Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba sent off in a bad-tempered goalless draw with Sampdoria at the San Siro.

Inter found themselves down to nine men with 52 minutes to play following the dismissals of Samuel and Cordoba, while referee Paolo Tagliavento also sent off Sampdoria's Giampaolo Pazzini midway through the second half.

Despite the numerical advantage, Samp could not find their way past a resilient Inter side who secured Mourinho's 130th home league match without defeat, stretching across spells with Porto, Chelsea and Inter.

AS Roma 1-0 Catania

Mirko Vucinic's first-half goal earned Roma a 1-0 win at home to Catania on Sunday and moved them to within five points of Serie A leaders Inter Milan.

The Montenegrin scored in the 18th minute as the Giallorossi won for the seventh game running in the league.

Bari 0-2 AC Milan

AC Milan, who have a game in hand on the top two, are two points further back after a 2-0 win at Bari.

Marco Borriello opened the scoring two minutes before the break and Alexandre Pato doubled the advantage in the 69th minute as Leonardo's side bounced back from their Champions League defeat to Manchester United in midweek.

Bologna 1-2 Juventus

Goals from Diego and Antonio Candreva gave Juventus back-to-back league wins for the first time since November with a 2-1 success at Bologna.

Diego's early goal for the Old Lady was cancelled out in the 50th minute by Antonio Busce before substitute Candreva sealed the points midway through the second half to continue Juve's improvement under Alberto Zaccheroni.

Palermo 3-1 Lazio

Palermo claimed a 3-1 win at home to Lazio to move up to fifth - level on points with Napoli and Sampdoria in sixth and seventh.

Abel Hernandez opened the scoring within a minute, Fabrizio Miccoli added a second from the spot midway through the first half and Antonio Nocerino made it 3-0 after 75 minutes.

Aleksandar Kolarov pulled one back three minutes later for struggling Lazio, but it was no more than a consolation.

Italian Serie A Top Six Standings

Team        Pl  W  D L Fr Ag Pts 
Inter Milan 25 16  7 2 49 20  55 
AS Roma     25 15  5 5 43 27  50 
AC Milan    24 14  6 4 41 24  48 
Juventus    25 12  5 8 40 33  41 
Palermo     25 11  7 7 35 31  40 
Napoli      25 10 10 5 32 30  40

Stumble It!

Feb 12th-14th : Napoli hold Inter Milan but Inter are still 7 points clear

A round-up of the top action in Italy this weekend.

Napoli 0-0 Inter Milan

Leaders Inter Milan were held to a goalless draw by Napoli, meaning their lead at the end of the weekend stands at seven points over Roma.

Hosts Napoli had enough chances to win several games and struck the woodwork twice - via Marek Hamsik and Fabio Quagliarella - on a frustrating night against the defending champions.

Inter also hit the frame of the goal through Sulley Muntari and improved in the second half to claim a point.

As a result of their point, Napoli move back up to fourth and keep their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League alive.

AS Roma 4-1 Palermo

On Saturday, Roma moved back up to second place in the table with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Palermo.

Having dropped down the standings after AC Milan beat Udinese on Friday night, Roma wasted no time in taking second spot back.

A Cesare Bovo own goal in the 33rd minute set them on their way to victory with a scoreline that was far more convincing than their performance at the Stadio Olimpico.

Julio Baptista added the second in the 53rd minute before Matteo Brighi got his name on the scoresheet 10 minutes later.

Fabrizio Miccoli reduced the arrears with a dubious penalty in the 80th minute but a stunning strike from John-Arne Riise three minutes later secured the win for Claudio Ranieri's in-form Giallorossi.

AC Milan 3-2 Udinese

Ronaldinho inspired AC Milan to a 3-2 victory over Udinese, warming them up for the visit of Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday with three more Serie A points.

Although the Brazilian did not put his own name on the scoresheet, he set up all three goals.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored the first after seven minutes and substitute Alexandre Pato added the second five minutes before the break.

Antonio Floro Flores gave Udinese hope with a goal on the stroke of half-time before Huntelaar's second in the 57th minute restored the home side's two-goal advantage.

Antonio Di Natale pulled Udinese back into the game in the 86th minute, but they could not find an equaliser.

Sampdoria 2-0 Fiorentina

Sampdoria gabbed their fourth win as they downed an out-of-sorts Fiorentina 2-0.

Franco Semioli put the Blucerchiati on their way to victory in the 16th minute and Giampaolo Pazzini sealed the win in the 40th minute with his first goal against his former club.

Fiorentina are languishing in 11th position and struggling for form ahead of a testing Champions League tie against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Juventus 3-2 Genoa

A disputed penalty allowed Juventus to win their first game under coach Alberto Zaccheroni as they came from behind to earn a 3-2 victory against Genoa.

Genoa went ahead with a goal from captain Marco Rossi in the 16th minute, but Amauri brought the Bianconeri level shortly before the break.

Alessandro Del Piero put the home team in front after an hour, but Rossi struck back immediately with an equaliser Genoa more than deserved.

However, the game was decided in the 78th minute by a penalty earned and converted by Del Piero, although doubts remain whether it should have been a spot-kick in the first place.

Italian Serie A Top Six Standings

Team        Pl  W D L Fr Ag Pts 
Inter Milan 24 16-6-2 49:20  54 
Roma        24 14-5-5 42:27  47 
AC Milan    23 13-6-4 39:24  45 
Napoli      24 10-9-5 32:27  39 
Sampdoria   24 11-6-7 32:31  39 
Juventus    24 11-5-8 38:32  38

Stumble It!

Feb 6-7th : Inter Milan in command on top of Italy Serie A

Inter Milan moved 10 points clear of city rivals AC Milan, and 8 clear at the top of Serie A with a convincing 3-0 victory against in-form Cagliari at the San Siro on Sunday.

Inter Milan 3-0 Cagliari

Winter signing Goran Pandev gave them the perfect start after five minutes' play with Argentinian duo Walter Samuel (20) and Diego Milito (47) wrapping the game up for Jose Mourinho's men.

The result ended a six-game unbeaten run for Massimiliano Allegri's Cagliari, denting their hopes of European qualification.

Bologna 0-0 AC Milan

AC Milan fell 10 points behind city rivals Inter after an uninspiring goalless draw at Bologna.

A win for Leonardo's men was key to their hopes of keeping the pressure on their great rivals in the race for the Scudetto.

But Milan's failure to find the back of the net - although they went very close hitting the woodwork twice - means athat Milan slip back to 3rd on the table.

Fiorentina 0-1 AS Roma

Roma to move second in the table as Mirko Vucinic got the only goal for the game in the 1-0 win at Fiorentina.

The Viola were left empty-handed after one of their most impressive performances of the last few months while Roma extended their excellent run of form to 12 Serie A games without defeat.

Udinese 3-1 Napoli

Antonio di Natale scored twice in injury-time to complete a hat-trick for Udinese in a 3-1 victory against previously in-form Napoli.

Di Natale punished his hometown club, who had goalscorer Christian Maggio sent off just before half-time, to give the Bianconeri a first win in eight Serie A contests.

It provided Gianni De Biasi with a first victory since he took charge on December 22, easing the club's relegation fears and enabling them to put behind them the misery of the midweek Coppa Italia semi-final defeat to Roma.

Serie A Top Eight Team Standings

Team        Pl  W D L Fr Ag Pts 
Inter Milan 22 16-4-2 48:19  52 
Roma        23 13-5-5 38:26  44 
AC Milan    22 12-6-4 36:22  42 
Napoli      23 10-8-5 32:27  38 
Palermo     23 10-7-6 31:26  37 
Sampdoria   23 10-6-7 30:31  36 
Juventus    23 10-5-8 35:30  35 
Genoa       23 10-5-8 36:36  35 

Stumble It!

30-31st Jan : Round-up Of Italy Serie A results

Parma P-P Inter Milan

Inter Milan's match at Parma was postponed due to snow, and has been re-scheduled for February 10th.

AC Milan 1-1 Livorno

AC Milan missed the chance to close the gap on Serie A leaders Inter Milan to six points as they were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Livorno on Sunday.

Massimo Ambrosini opened the scoring for Milan in the final minute of the first half but Livorno levelled eight minutes after the break thanks to Cristiano Lucarelli.

Juventus 1-1 Lazio

New Juventus boss Alberto Zaccheroni had to settle for a point at Turin's Stadio Olimpico in his first match in charge as they played out a 1-1 draw with Lazio.

The former Lazio manager saw his team take the lead through Alessandro Del Piero's 70th-minute penalty. However, that was as good as it got for Juve as Stefano Mauri grabbed the equaliser eight minutes later by volleying home a cross from Mauro Zarate.

The result lifted the Turin outfit to fifth in the standings, and leaves Lazio two points clear of the drop zone.

Napoli 0-0 Genoa

On Saturday Napoli were held to a 0-0 draw at the Stadio San Paolo by their bogey team Genoa.

Napoli have not beaten Genoa since both sides returned to the top flight of Italian football two-and-a-half years ago, while their last home victory over the Ligurians dates back over a decade to when the clubs were in Serie B.

Bari 4-2 Palermo

Bari defeated 10-man Palermo 4-2 at the Stadio San Nicola.

Leonardo Bonucci and Edgar Alvarez gave the hosts a two-goal lead within the first seven minutes, but strikes from Edison Cavani and Javier Pastore either side of half-time brought Palermo level.

A red card shown to midfielder Fabio Liverani in the 56th minute tipped the scales back in Bari's favour before a penalty from Paulo Barreto and a fourth goal from Vladimir Koman earned them all three points to get them back in the reckoning for a place in Europe next season.

Italian Serie A Top Six Standings

Team        Pl  W D L Fr Ag Pts 
Inter Milan 21 15-4-2 45 19 49 
AC Milan    21 12-5-4 36 22 41 
AS Roma     22 12-5-5 37 26 41 
Napoli      22 10-8-4 31 24 38 
Juventus    22 10-4-8 34 29 34 
Palermo     22  9-7-6 29 25 34

Stumble It!

23-24 Jan : Weekend wrap-up of Italian Serie A

Inter Milan 2-0 AC Milan

Nine-man Inter Milan moved nine points clear of city rivals AC Milan at the top of Serie A thanks to a 2-0 win at the San Siro on Sunday.

Diego Milito gave the Nerazzurri the lead in the 10th minute, but they were forced to play over two-thirds of the game with 10 men after Wesley Sneijder was sent off.

Goran Pandev's 65th-minute strike secured the points for Jose Mourinho's side, who lost Lucio to a red card in stoppage time before Ronaldinho saw his penalty saved at the end of a dramatic derby.

Juventus 1-2 AS Roma

On Saturday former Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri returned to haunt his old club and pile the misery on his successor Ciro Ferrara as Roma ran out 2-1 winners at the Stadio Olimpico.

Alessandro Del Piero gave the home side the lead with a fine goal in the 51st minute, but Francesco Totti equalised from the penalty spot in the 68th minute.

Juve lost goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to a red card in the 83rd minute before John Arne Riise clinched the points for Roma deep in stoppage time.

Livorno 0-2 Napoli

Christian Maggio put Napoli ahead before the interval and Luca Cigarini made sure of the points in stoppage time, moments after Livorno goalkeeper Alfonso De Lucia was sent off.

Serse Cosmi stepped down as coach of Livorno following his team's defeat.

Palermo 3-0 Fiorentina

Abel Hernandez scored twice in the first half as Palermo enhanced their European chances with a comfortable 3-0 win over Fiorentina.

An Igor Budan strike just before the hour mark completed the scoring for Palermo who maintained their unbeaten home record to move up to fifth in the table.

Italian Serie A Top Six Teams

Team        Pl  W D L  Fr Ag Pts 
Inter Milan 21 15-4-2  45:19  49 
AC Milan    20 12-4-4  35:21  40 
AS Roma     21 11-5-5  35:25  38 
Napoli      21 10-7-4  31:24  37 
Palermo     21  9-7-5  27:21  34 
Juventus    21 10-3-8  33:28  33

Stumble It!

Milan romp to 4-0 win over Siena to close the gap on Inter to 6 points

Ronaldinho netted a hat-trick as AC Milan eased to a 4-0 victory over bottom club Siena and cut Inter Milan's lead at the top of Serie A to six points.

AC Milan 4-0 Siena
Ronaldinho struck a first-half penalty, a second-half header and a long-range shot late on after Marco Borriello had hit the Rossoneri's second.

Siena's efforts to kick-start a dismal season were undermined by the 10th-minute dismissal of goalkeeper Gianluca Curci, which led to Ronaldinho's opening spot-kick as Leonardo's side cut Inter's lead after their 2-2 draw at Bari on Saturday.

AS Roma 3-0 Genoa
Luca Toni bagged his first goals since joining the Roma on loan from Bayern Munich this month, scoring on the stroke of half-time after team-mate Simone Perrotta had put Roma ahead in the 17th minute.

And Toni put the game beyond Genoa's reach on the hour mark to put the capital city club into 3rd spot.

Napoli 0-0 Palermo
Napoli drew 0-0 with Palermo in Naples in a dour game that had few real moments of danger after Fabrizio Miccoli missed a first half penalty for the visitors.

Chievo 1-0 Juventus
Juventus slipped to fifth in the standings after the Turin giants lost 1-0 at Chievo.

Gennaro Sardo's stunning first-half strike proved to be the only goal of the game as Juve turned in a performance lacking energy and confidence which comes on the back of a 3-0 hammering at the hands of AC Milan in their last league outing.

Serie A TOP SIX STANDINGS

CLUB        Pl  W D L  GD Pts 
Inter Milan 20 14-4-2 +24  46 
AC Milan    19 12-4-3 +16  40 
AS Roma     20 10-5-5  +9  35 
Napoli      20  9-7-4  +5  34 
Juventus    20 10-3-7  +6  33 
Palermo     20  8-7-5  +3  31 

Stumble It!

AC Milan beat Juventus 3-0 in Turin to keep in touch with Inter

The Serie A Scudetto will be a race between Inter Milan and AC Milan after AC Milan won 3-0 away at Juventus to keep the pressure on Serie A table-toppers and city rivals Inter Milan.

Alessandro Nesta put Milan ahead in the 29th minute with Ronaldinho adding a second in the 72nd minute as Juve struggled to produce a performance that would ease the calls for Ferrara's head.

Another goal from Ronaldinho two minutes from time came amid protests from the home fans, who shrouded the field with smoke by burning any item possible, and sealed the win for Milan - now eight points behind Inter with a game in hand.

Napoli beat Sampdoria 1-0 to remain in 4th, and in the race for Champions League football after substitute German Denis came off the bench to score the winner against Sampdoria on Sunday.

On Saturday night Inter Milan twice came from behind to claim a thrilling 4-3 victory over Siena as Wesley Sneijder and Walter Samuel scored late goals in the top-versus-bottom clash at the San Siro.

And a first-minute goal from Daniele De Rossi was enough to give 10-man Roma a 1-0 victory over Chievo which moves them up to fifth in the table.

Rossi headed in from a corner to give the hosts the lead at the Stadio Olimpico, but they had goalkeeper Doni sent off after he handled the ball outside the area after coming out as Elvis Abbruscato charged through on goal.

CLUB        Pl  W D L  GD Pts 
Inter Milan 19 14-3-2 +24  45 
AC Milan    18 11-4-3 +12  37 
Juventus    19 10-3-6  +7  33 
Napoli      19  9-6-4  +5  33 
AS Roma     19  9-5-5  +6  32 
Fiorentina  18  9-3-6  +8  30

Stumble It!

Champions League Draw - Man United get AC Milan, Chelsea face Inter, Arsenal v Porto

AC Milan v MAN UTD
Porto v ARSENAL
Lyon v Real Madrid
CSKA Moscow v Sevilla
Bayern Munich v Fiorentina
Inter Milan v CHELSEA
Olympiakos v Bordeaux
Stuttgart v Barcelona

The first-leg ties will be played on 16, 17, 23 or 24 February. The return games will be played on either 9, 10, 16 or 17 March.

Stumble It!

Champions League Group stages complete - 16 teams for second round named

The lineup for the UEFA Champions League first knockout round was completed on Wednesday when the group stage concluded with holders Barcelona, Inter Milan, VfB Stuttgart and Olympiacos taking the final four places.

Generally, the group winners are the stronger section with the five shorted priced sides in the Winners group, but with Inter Milan, Olympique Lyon and Bayern Munich lurking as dangerous runners-up opponents.

Group winners
------------------------------
Bordeaux (FRA)
Manchester United (ENG)
Real Madrid (ESP)
Chelsea (ENG)
ACF Fiorentina (ITA)
FC Barcelona (ESP)
Sevilla (ESP)
Arsenal (ENG)

Group runners-up
------------------------------
Bayern Munchen (GER)
CSKA Moskva (RUS)
AC Milan (ITA)
FC Porto (POR)
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
Internazionale Milano (ITA)
VfB Stuttgart (GER)
Olympiacos (GRE)

Knockout Draw
------------------------------
The draw will take place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland at 12.00CET on Friday 18 December.

The UEFA Champions League first knockout round first-leg ties will take place on 16/17 and 23/24 February 2010 (with two games each day) with the second legs to be played on 9/10 and 16/17 March.

Outright Winner Betting Odds :
------------------------------
Barcelona 4.50 @ Betfred
Chelsea 5.00 @ Eurobet
Real Madrid 7.00 @ Bet365
Manchester United 9.00 @ Ladbrokes
Arsenal 11.00 @ Eurobet
Internazionale Milano 17.00 @ Eurobet
Sevilla 21.00 @ Centrebet
Bayern Munchen 23.00 @ Centrebet
AC Milan 23.00 @ Bet365

Stumble It!

Juventus beat inter Milan 2-1 while AC Milan thrash Sampdoria 3-0

Juve beat leaders Inter 2-1 as Mourinho sent off
Claudio Marchisio scored a superb goal gave 10-man Juventus a 2-1 win over leaders Inter Milan in an enthralling game on Saturday.

Italy midfielder Marchisio danced past Walter Samuel and chipped the ball over Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar just before the hour mark to inflict Inter’s second league defeat this term.

Juventus took the lead after 20 minutes when Diego's free kick was headed on by Giorgio Chiellini and the ball deflected in off Inter's Lucio.

Inter manager Jose Mourinho sarcastically applauded the referee after the goal for awarding the free kick and was immediately sent to the stands by the referee.

Inter Milan equalised after 26 minutes when a Dejan Stankovic’s cross was headed in by an unmarked Samuel Eto'o.

Second-placed Milan overpower Sampdoria 3-0
AC Milan scored three goals in the first 23 minutes to seal an easy victory over Sampdoria.

Ronaldinho set up the first two goals but then went off with a minor hamstring strain with one eye on Tuesday's Champions League clash at FC Zurich, where a win will put Milan through.

Striker Marco Borriello headed in the Brazilian's cross after just two minutes for his fourth league goal of the season.

Ronaldinho, playing on the left of a new three-man attack, then laid the ball off for midfielder Clarence Seedorf score just inside the box after 21 minutes.

Alexandre Pato scored soon after to secure a fifth straight league win for Leonardo’s side, who have recovered from a shaky start to the campaign.

Stumble It!

KAKA COMPLETES REAL MADRID MOVE

FOOTBALL: Real Madrid have completed the signing of Kaka from AC Milan on a six-year contract.

The Spanish giants confirmed the eagerly-awaited capture of the 27-year-old Brazilian superstar in a brief statement on their website late on Monday night.

Kaka, currently on international duty with Brazil in his homeland, underwent a medical in Recife earlier on Monday before putting pen to paper on a six-year deal.

The transfer fee is expected to be new world record at around £56million, eclipsing the £48million Real paid Juventus for Zinedine Zidane in the summer of 2001.

Stumble It!

KAKA transfer news overdose ...

Here is a selection of news flashes and pure made up bollocks published by newspapers in the last 24 hours regarding Kaka's possible transfer to Manchester City.

They can't all be true - many of them contradict each other ...

(Press Association) Despite reports to the contrary from the Middle East, Manchester City boss Mark Hughes insists the Kaka deal could still go ahead.

(Arabianbusiness.com) Manchester City have sensationally withdrawn their bid for Kaka, and will instead unveil another signing from Serie A in the next 48 hours - "not in the Kaka league".

(The Sun) AC Milan star Kaka will only move to Manchester City if he is given a series of get-out clauses as part of a world record £175m deal.

(The Sun continues) If he joins City, the Brazilian star wants written guarantees in his contract that Sheikh Mansour remains the club's owner and continues to invest heavily, that City qualify for the Champions League within two years, that Robinho stays at the club and also that he retains control of his image rights. If any of those clauses are broken, Kaka would be allowed to leave for a predetermined transfer fee.

(Daily Star) City will offer Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti the chance to take charge at Eastlands in the summer in a bid to improve their chances of signing Kaka.

(The Sun tried a new line ..) Kaka is committed to the Rossoneri but will listen to City if there is any indication that the Italian club are willing to accept the £100m on offer by the Eastlands club.

(Daily Telegraph) Milan are willing to sell Kaka but a deal will only be sanctioned if he wishes to leave the San Siro.

(The Sun must have a lot of bugs in the negotiation room) Kaka's father and closest adviser Bosco Leite is flying in from Brazil to enter the negotiations.

(Daily Mirror) City will present their proposal to Kaka's representatives before the end of this week but Bosco Leite holds the key to whether the deal will go through.

(Daily Mail) Kaka wants to meet Sheikh Mansour before he decides on his future.

(Daily Telegraph) City will renew their efforts to sign Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon or AC Milan goalkeeper Dida in an attempt to convince Kaka of their ambitions.

(The Guardian) Manchester City used Kaka's compatriot Robinho, who joined them from Real Madrid for £32.5m in August, to try to persuade the 26-year-old midfielder to swap the San Siro for Eastlands.

(Daily Mail starts to make it all up ..) Robinho has been in regular telephone contact with Kaka and has told City boss Mark Hughes that his Brazil team-mate is ready to move to Manchester.

Stumble It!

UEFA Cup Knockout Draw

Aston Villa and Tottenham have a potential last 16 clash - but they will have to get past a pair of quality opponents as they first face CSKA Moscow and Shakhtar Donetsk respectively in the last 32.

Manchester City will face FC Copenhagen in the last 32 but they could meet Deportivo La Coruna in the last 16.

Other last 32 ties include AC Milan up against Werder Bremen, while Ajax meet Fiorentina.

Last 32 draw (first leg 18-19 Feb/ second leg 26 Feb):
Paris Saint-Germain v Wolfsburg
FC Copenhagen v MANCHESTER CITY
NEC Nijmegen v Hamburg
Sampdoria v Metalist Kharkiv
Braga v Standard Liege
ASTON VILLA v CSKA Moscow
Lech Poznan v Udinese
Olympiakos v Saint-Etienne
Fiorentina v Ajax
Aalborg v Deportivo La Coruna
Werder Bremen v AC Milan
Bordeaux v Galatasaray
Dynamo Kiev v Valencia
Zenit St. Petersburg v Stuttgart
Marseille v FC Twente
Shakhtar Donetsk v TOTTENHAM

Stumble It!

Round 13 : Inter Milan clear at top of Serie A

AC Milan were held 2-2 at Torino on Sunday, leaving city rivals Inter Milan three points clear at the top of Serie A.

Torino's Alessandro Rosina scored a 78th-minute penalty, which was conceded for handball by Kakha Kaladze, to earn the hosts a draw.

Napoli are 3rd with Juventus on 24 points after being held 2-2 at home by Cagliari earlier on Sunday. Daniele Conti scored a stoppage-time equaliser for the Sardinian side after Ezequiel Lavezzi thought he had won it for Napoli with a superb late free kick.

Lazio are fifth after grabbing a 1-1 home draw with Genoa thanks to Ousmane Dabo's powerful strike that slipped through keeper Rubinho's hands 10 minutes from time.

Fiorentina round out the top six after they beat visitors Udinese 4-2 on Saturday.

AS Roma continued their return to form after a miserable start to the season with a 3-0 win at Lecce courtesy of first-half goals by Mirko Vucinic and Juan plus captain Francesco Totti's delightful chip four minutes after the break. Roma are in 15th spot.

Stumble It!

Inter Milan top of Serie A table after late goals

Julio Cruz headed home in injury time to give Inter Milan a 1-0 home win over Udinese on Sunday and send the Serie A champions top of the table.


AC Milan, a point behind Inter on 23, were held 1-1 at Lecce in the late game after conceding a late equaliser.

Napoli beat Sampdoria 2-0 to be on the same points as Milan while Lazio defeated Siena 3-0 at home thanks to a brace by Tommaso Rocchi and Mauro Zarate's goal.

Alessandro Del Piero celebrated his 34th birthday by scoring a third free kick in a week to help Juventus to a 2-0 win at lowly Chievo which puts them level with Udinese on 21 points.

Genoa are a point further behind in an extremely tight top half of Serie A after Diego Milito's hat-trick sealed a 4-0 home victory over bottom side Reggina.

Fiorentina are also on 20 points following a 2-1 triumph over Atalanta.

Stumble It!

Aston Villa shorten to lift the UEFA Cup.

Aston Villa have been cut for UEFA Cup glory after winning in midweek while Spurs and Portsmouth are on the drift.

Aston Villa kicked off their Group F campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Ajax at Villa Park and Ladbrokes have cut them to 11/1 to lift the trophy after goals from Martin Laursen and Gareth Barry secured victory over the Dutch visitors.

However, with the knockout stages still to come, there are plenty of challenges left and Villa can still be backed at 13.00 with PaddyPower.

Tottenham's miserable start to the season continued with a 2-0 defeat away to Udinese.

Spurs mixed passages of promising play with a defensive howler from goalkeeper Gomes and then an unnecessary red card to leave manager Juande Ramos even more uncertain about his future.

Spurs are 25/1 shots at BetFred for UEFA Cup glory - if you fancy their chances of getting sorted out.

Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth crashed to a 3-0 away defeat to Braga of Portugal and now Pompey are down at 40/1 in the betting ahead of their next fixture - a home clash with tournament favourites AC Milan.

AC Milan left some big names on the bench for their Group E opener away to Heerenveen but still cruised to a 3-1 win and have been cut to 7/2 by Ladbrokes.

Manchester City, who didn't have a fixture this week, are 14/1 to lift the cup.

Stumble It!

Preseason wins for Chelsea, Arsenal, Hamburg and Ajax

Nicolas Anelka scored four times as Chelsea tore apart a weakened Milan team 5-0 in their pre-season friendly.

Without Kaka or Ronaldinho, the Italians fell behind to Frank Lampard's second minute opener, and were never in the game as the Blues emphatically settled the third-place play-off in the Railways Cup.

There were four goals for Anelka during a game where Milan looked barely interested, especialy after finding themselves 0-3 down at halftime.

In London, a near-full strength Arsenal beat Real Madrid 1-0 at the Emirates, with Emmanuel Adebayor scoring the winner in the second half.

Unlike yesterday's match against Juventus, Arsene Wenger chose a strong side - led by captain William Gallas, with Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor also featuring, and home start for summer signing Samir Nasri on the left of midfield.

Hamburg won the Emirates Cup with a 3-0 victory over Juventus taking them to 7 points in the mini-league that also awards a point for each goal scored.

Sunderland lost 1-0 at home to Ajax. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored the only goal in the 80th minute at the Stadium of Light.

Stumble It!

More Transfer rumours ...

Continuing the (almost) regular series ...

Cristiano Ronaldo has fails to clear up speculation over his future by saying he could still leave Manchester United. When quizzed by ESPN he said: "What do you want me to say? That I'm going or I'm staying? I don't know about the future, only God knows it. I can't say any more."
( Gooner Truth Rating = 5/10 :: Source = ESPNsoccernet)

Chelsea's world record bid to sign AC Milan forward Kaka could cost the Blues anything from £50m to £120m with 10% going to the player himself, but the Serie A side say he is not for sale.
( Gooner Truth Rating = 1/10 :: Source = Everyone)

Chelsea are also apparently interested in Real Madrid forward Robinho after his agent revealed the club have proposed a firm offer.
(Gooner Truth Rating = 5/10 :: Source = Sunday Telegraph)

Juventus are ready to launch a £15m bid for Arsenal's Robin van Persie, who they see as an ideal replacement for Pavel Nedved.
(Gooner Truth Rating = 1/10 :: Source = News of the World)

And in the massively over-hyped and not nearly as good as you and your agent think you are section of the day Emmanuel Adebayor says that he will deign to stay at Arsenal if the Gunners offer him £100,000-a-week.

F*ck off Ade - no-one is interested in your delusions.

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Ronaldinho lands in Milan - PR hype hits

Brazil star Ronaldinho has been unveiled to fans and the media at the San Siro stadium after completing his move from Barcelona to AC Milan.

The 28-year-old insisted he was fully fit despite concerns about his lifestyle and attitude in Spain.

"I have always lived a regular life and I will continue like that. I am in good physical condition" he said. "Every player dreams of playing for Milan. It is a special emotion and I hope to bring happiness to the fans."

Thousands of fans turned up at the stadium to welcome Ronaldinho to the club, with the San Siro nearly half full.

"I already feel at home here" he added - although unfortunately he was speaking in Portuguese and not Italian.

The fact that Barcelona sold the overweight Ronaldinho at a cut price fee, that Ronaldinho only wanted to move to a club that would let him play for Brazil in the Olympic football tournament, and that AC Milan are not in the Champions League this season were not discussed.

Milan need to reinvigorate the side with youth, energy and desire ... and instead they buy Ronaldinho?! Too old, too fat, and too jaded after a very successful career.

Can you see this all ending in tears in 12-18 months? Me too.

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Ronaldinho to join AC Milan

AC Milan have beaten Manchester City in the race to sign Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho after revealing they have reached an agreement in principle on a three-year deal for the Brazilian.

The Serie A club made the announcement on their official website following a day of talks between Barca president Joan Laporta and Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani in the Catalan capital.

The financial terms of the agreement have not been revealed but City's interest almost certainly pushed up the final fee.

Transfer talks between Barca and Milan reportedly stalled earlier this week, with the Italian club only willing to pay £11.9million plus up to around £4million in add-ons - £7.9million less than Barca were demanding.

But the Rossoneri are understood to have increased their bid by around £4million after City were reportedly waiting with a bid of £27.8million.

The Italian club confirmed that the formal completion of the deal now hinged only on the Brazil international successfully completing a medical.

"AC Milan and FC Barcelona have reached a principle agreement for the transfer of Ronaldinho to the Rossoneri," read a short statement on Milan's official website on Tuesday. "The player will be in Milan tomorrow (Wednesday) to undergo the medical examinations and sign the contract that will bind to Milan until June 30, 2011."

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Friday's Transfer Rumours

Even the transfer gossip is coming up a bit short today - although the London papers have plenty of general speculation re-hashed as a new story.

Adebayor going to Milan is being touted as an almost done deal - with AC Milan midfielder Yoann Gourcuff is being used as part of the "bait" to finance the estimated £30m cost of Adebayor.
(Source = Daily Express)

So the Sun reckons that Arsene Wenger wants to sign Ajax and Holland striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar to replace the departing African.
(Source = The Sun)

Down the road a bit ...

Frank Lampard has left Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich stunned by rejecting a £140,000-a-week deal over four years - although that works out as £29.2m in wagers Lampard says it's not enough - he needs 5 years to secure his future.
(Source = Daily Star)

So Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho has stirred things up by claiming Lamps is "the best professional" he has worked with as he tries to lure the midfielder to Inter Milan.

The Stamford Bridge club are considering making bids for Real Madrid forward Robinho and Valencia striker David Villa reports "The Independant" - which frankly sound like a rehash of our blog entry yesterday.
(Source = Independent)

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Premier League Transfer gossip

Warning most of this is pure bollocks!

As the summer grinds on - and very little major transfer action actually is happening - I thought that I would start a daily thread of the various rumours - with their sources.

The cynical webmasters amongst you might think that i'm just trying to up the hits on this blog ... and you might be right !!
:-)

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has boasted to Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal that Cristiano Ronaldo has already signed for the Spanish club.
(Source = just about every newspaper)

Frank Lampard looks to be on his way out of Chelsea as owner Roman Abramovich has refused to sanction the new five-year deal the midfielder is demanding.
(Source = The Sun)

AC Milan claim Arsenal have written a letter to them offering to sell Emmanuel Adebayor, but don't want to pay the £35m fee that the Gunners want for the striker.
(Source = The Sun again !)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has set Gareth Barry's price at £17m plus defender Steve Finnan. Wow!
(Source = Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is trying to do a cut-price £6m deal for Real Zaragoza's Argentine forward Pablo Aimar.
(Source = Daily Mirror)

Everton are tracking Real Zaragoza striker Diego Milito as David Moyes considers potential replacements for unsettled striker Andy Johnson who might move to Wigan. (Source = several)

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Inter Milan win Serie A title - AC Milan settle for UEFA Cup

Parma 0-2 Inter Milan

Inter Milan won Serie A following a 2-0 defeat of Parma thanks to two goals from Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Inter needed to match any result that rivals AS Roma achieved and an early Roma goal seemed to put Inter were under pressure as they struggled to break down Parma.

But Ibrahimovic's goal after 62 minutes regained the initiative and his second after 79 minutes made certain of a third straight league title.

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Catania 1-1 AS Roma

Roma conceded a late equaliser as they drew 1-1 in Sicily, after hearing that Inter had won in Parma

The results saved Catania, who had looked like they would be relegated Roma when they allowed Mirko Vucinic to give the capital side an eighth-minute lead.

But the Sicilians earned the point which preserved their top flight status thanks to an 95th-minute goal from Jorge Martinez.

This late goal condemned both Parma and Empoli to relegation.

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Torino 0-1 Fiorentina

Fiorentina claimed the fourth Champions League spot with a 1-0 win at Torino, thanks to a single goal in the 75th minute through Pablo Osvaldo's bicycle kick.

It was enough to prevserve Fiorentina's 2-point advantage over AC milan and secure 4th place.

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AC Milan 4-1 Udinese

AC Milan did their best at the San Siro, beating Udinese 4-1, but multiple slip-ups earlier in the season were to prove costly.

The home side had actually fallen behind when Giandomenico Mesto put Udinese ahead in the 32nd minute. Alexandre Pato equalised three minutes into the second half and Filippo Inzaghi put Milan ahead after 59 minutes.

Goals from Cafu (79) and Clarence Seedorf (88) made sure of a win - but it had little effect on the final standings.

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Inter Milan held by Siena to send title race to final weekend

Inter Milan again missed the chance to retain their Serie A title when they were held 2-2 at home by Siena on Sunday with Marco Materazzi having a penalty saved.

Second-placed AS Roma beat Atalanta 2-1 to cut the gap to one point with one round of matches remaining next weekend.

Livorno were relegated after a 1-0 defeat at home to Torino.

Fiorentina beat relegation-threatened Parma 3-1 to move into fourth spot and the final Champions league qualifying place after AC Milan lost 3-1 at Napoli and now two points behind with a game left.

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Fiorentina open Champions League door for AC Milan

Milan move two points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina - held 2-2 by Sampdoria - thanks to a Filippo Inzaghi hat-trick.

Livorno 1-4 AC Milan
AC Milan won 4-1 at Livorno a result which boosts the Rossoneri's Champions League hopes as it brings them to within two points of 4th placed Fiorentina.

Filippo Inzaghi opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, scored his second seven minutes into the second half and completed his treble seven minutes later.

Clarence Seedorf added a fourth in the 70th minute before Dario Knezevic pulled a goal back for the home side two minutes later.

Fiorentina 2-2 Sampdoria
Fiorentina trailed to Christian Maggio's 63rd-minute goal but must have thought they had beaten Samp when Christian Vieri levelled in the 77th minute and Adrian Mutu converted an 84th-minute penalty.

But Daniele Gastaldello's stoppage-time equaliser earned a point for the visitors.

Fiorentina looked a little tired, as they are still battling in the UEFA Cup and can claim a place in the UEFA Cup final if they beat Glasgow Rangers on Thursday.

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Roma keep Serie A title race alive - but Inter need just one more win.

Roma kept the Serie A title race alive for another week at least with a 4-1 thrashing of Torino.

Inter Milan 2-1 Cagliari
Leaders Internazionale won 2-1 at home to Cagliari, Inter's victory was comfortable as they led through Julio Cruz's 21st-minute strike and doubled their lead through second-half substitute Marco Materazzi in the 83rd minute.

Davide Biondini's stoppage-time effort for the visitors was just a consolation.

AS Roma 4-1 Torino
So defeat for Roma would have seen the Nerazzurri claim their second successive Scudetto. But the result was rarely in doubt after David Pizarro opened the scoring for Roma in the 18th minute from the penalty spot.

Mirko Vucinic doubled his team's lead two minutes later and Mancini made it 3-0 in the 25th minute and then netted his second shortly after the half-hour mark.

Substitute Nicola Ventola reduced the deficit five minutes after the interval but the visitors could not make further inroads, even after Roma defender Juan was sent off with 15 minutes left to play.

So Inter Milan can clinch the title next week in the Milan derby with a win.

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Ronaldinho to leave Barcelona for AC milan

Barcelona's Ronaldinho has reportedly agreed initial terms with Italian giants AC Milan, according to his brother and agent Roberto de Assis.

The Brazilian, 28, is set to miss the rest of the season with injury but is said to be disillusioned with life at the Nou Camp and keen for a move.

De Assis insisted it was not yet a done deal but said: "Basically, Ronaldinho and Milan have come to an agreement. He was impressed with first contact with them, they are a great team."

Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said: "There is a general agreement with the player. Now a deal has to be reached with Barcelona. Give us time."

The forward has also been linked with a move to Manchester City after De Assis was a guest at the home game against Chelsea. But De Assis claims the meetings at Eastlands were regarding "personal matters" and did not concern his brother.

And he now believes only a fee needs to be agreed with Barca for the two-time world player of the year to make the move to Italy a reality.

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted on Friday he would like to bring both Ronaldinho and Chelsea's out of favour striker Andriy Shevchenko to the San Siro next season.

Milan are fifth in Serie A and in danger of missing next year's Champions League after a poor season. They were knocked out of this year's Champions League as holders by Arsenal in the first knockout round.

And Ancelotti's men have struggled to score and create goals with Brazilian Ronaldo playing just a handful of games before being ruled out long term with a knee injury.

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UEFA CL : AC Milan 0-2 Arsenal (video)

Words fail me ... so ... watch the goals
:-)



(Apologies if you've found this old post ...
YouTube finally found the video and deleted it)

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Serie A Shocks on Sunday

Substitute Daniel Pablo Osvaldo struck an added-time winner as Fiorentina moved a point behind Juventus with a 3-2 victory in Turin – their first away victory over the Bianconeri in two decades.

SSC Napoli also enjoyed a notable success as they became the first club to beat the champions FC Internazionale Milano in Serie A this term winning 1-0.

That leaves Inter Milan (61) leading by 6 points from AS Roma (55), with Juve (48) and Fiorentina (47) battling for the Champions League spots.

Perrenial powerhouse AC Milan are in 5th spot on 43 points are are starting to run the risk of missing out on a lucrative Champions League spot next season.

The full Serie A table is available on the main Italian page on the GoonersGuide.com site.

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UEFA Champions League Draw

Liverpool and Arsenal have paid the price for finishing second in the their Champions League groups with draws Inter Milan and AC Milan in the first knockout round.

The Gunners will meet the holders AC Milan in February, while Rafa Benitez's Liverpool side go up against the reigning Serie A champions and current league leaders Inter Milan.

Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United have a tough match against the dangerous French champions Lyon while Scottish representatives Celtic are facing up to two matches against Spanish giants Barcelona.

Chelsea were drawn against Olympiacos of Greece and the other big tie in the last 16 pits mighty Real Madrid against Francesco Totti and Roma.

Schalke 04 of Germany take on 2004 winners FC Porto and Sevilla face Turkish side Fenerbahce.

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AC Milan 4-2 Boca Juniors

Milan win FIFA World Club Championship

Finally we had a football game worth talking about at the "World Club Championships" as an aging Milan team overcame an out-of-season Boca Juniors side in the "final".

Filippo Inzaghi scored twice as AC Milan beat Boca Juniors to win the Club World Cup in Japan. Inzaghi struck after a Kaka pass on 21 minutes but Boca equalised a minute later through Rodrigo Palacio's header.

Alessandro Nesta's volley, Kaka's solo run and finish and Inzaghi's second - all in the space of 10 minutes - settled the match in Milan's favour.

Kakha Kaladze saw red, as did Boca's Pablo Ledesma, while Milan's Massimo Ambrosini scored an own goal.

So well done and congratulations to AC Milan - who learned that Paulo Maldini will be retiring at the end of the season.

----

GOONER BEER RANT :

But frankly the preliminary games are a bit of a farce - and even if an upset did happen so that we did not get a Europe v South America final all it would mean is another imbalanced game in the final.

This is one FIFA turkey that will not fly - no matter how much they dress it up. Either bring over a couple more top sides for the "tournament" or stop pretending that it's anything more than a one-game title.

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The Fiver Rumour Mill ...

As stolen from the high-profile (for a blog) and always funny Guardian Fiver blog ... their rumour mill always has a nice turn of phrase.

Milan have had enough of Ronaldo's injury problems, and would be happy to see the cuddly striker lending his weight to another team's attack.

Wayne Bridge has had enough of not being picked by Avram Grant, and is considering taking his unique brand of comedy to Newcastle or Spurs, where it will be properly appreciated.

And Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has had enough, and will sell his stake in the club as soon as Rafa Benitez stops whining about transfer targets long enough for him to get a word in edgeways.

Check out the Guardian Fiver Monday to Friday (around tea-time) for a regular laugh.

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Italian midweek spreadsheet up

There is a round of midweek action in Serie A - and now that we've got the site back up and running we've been able to post our home work.

We've done all the calculations and premutations for the midweek games in Italy and posted the spreadsheet with a few betting notes into the forum

The Sheet -> Italian midweek

Four "likely winners" :
-----------------------------
Inter Milan @ 1.40
Napoli @ 1.86
Juventus @ 1.28
and AC Milan (away) @ 2.33

The discovered value system suggests three bets (two repeats of above).
-----------------------------
DV-Home ::: Inter Milan @ 1.40
DV-Draw ::: Lazio v Cagliari @ 3.30
DV-Away ::: AC Milan @ 2.33

Good luck.

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Jose Mourinho to manage Portugal in Euro2008?

Jose Mourinho looks likely to be the next manager of the Portuguese national side if the weight of punters money is to be believed.

The job of the Portuguese manager is obviously one that might appeal to the ego of Mourinho - and returning as a "national hero" of sorts will surely appeal to the self titled SPECIAL ONE.

Also remember that with Big Phil Scolari getting into trouble recently - trying to punch a Serbian player after a 1-1 draw in qualifying - that the Portuguese FA may well be looking for a popular way to cut the ties.

The Portugal national side is the outstanding favourite at 1.50 (after starting at 14.00 at some bookmakers) and the next two contenders are Tottenham and AC Milan at 6.00 and 6.50 repectively.

While AC Milan would be a good fit for Mourinho they seem to be in a good solid position and not looking for a change so I can't see that happening - while the Tottenham link is surely just a reaction to the instability of Martin Jol's job - as I also cannot imagine Mourinho being happy to settle for 5th best !!

One club job that might be worth a tickle could be the Barcelona role where boss Frank Rikkard is under pressure again after a slow start by Barcelona in this seasons La Liga - and Barca may simnply think that it's time for a change.

But as mentioned the overwhelming favourite is manager of Portugal - and the challenge of the task of finally leading Portugal to international success must surely appeal to Mourinho.

JOSE MOURINHO NEXT JOB ODDS -- BET AT BET365
1.50 Portugal
6.00 Tottenham
6.50 Milan
11.00 Valencia
15.00 Porto
15.00 Real Madrid
21.00 Barcelona
21.00 England
21.00 Juventus
41.00 Man Utd

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2007-08 Champions League Begins ...

It's only been seven weeks since AC Milan were crowned champions of Europe with a 2-1 win against Liverpool in Athens, but the road to the 2008 season's UEFA Champions League final begins on Tuesday.

Of course, in all likelihood NONE of the 28 sides are involved in the the first qualifying round, will even make it to the group stages, but the money in being invovled in this stage means a lot to the little clubs.

(see our Champion League section for the blog post.)

For the first time the champions of Andorra, San Marino and Montenegro will be invoved in the competition and the inflow of money is an important step in raiing the standards of football for the small nations.

Kaunas likely to progress
FK Zeta will represent Montenegro, lining up against FBK Kaunas who are veterans of this stage as they prepare for their seventh first qualifying round fixture in eight seasons. Only twice have Kaunas failed to reach the second stage and though they have never progressed beyond that, Angel Cervenkov's team approach the tie in high spirits after claiming a maiden Lithuanian Super Cup triumph last month.

Sheriff a tough task for Andorran side
Andorran champions FC Ranger's travel to FC Sheriff for the right to meet Besiktas JK in the next round.

Sheriff saw their UEFA Champions League hopes ended by FC Spartak Moskva 12 months ago but pushed the Russian team all the way before missing out on goal difference and have been busy strengthening ahead of this campaign.

Striker Sasa Kajkut and midfielder George Daniel Negrut have both arrived in Tiraspol, raising hopes the Moldovan champions can go further this term.

Top sides await the winners
Red Star Belgrade who were European champions in 1991 will meet either FK Pobeda or FC Levadia Tallinn while Scottish side Glasgow Rangers FC will face the victors of the Zeta tie.

RELATED LINKS :
UEFA Champions League Live Scores
UEFA Champions League Betting Previews

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Bet365 take a beating as AC Milan win

Bet365 suffered substantial losses of well over £450,000 on Wednesday night's Champions League final as a successful gamble on AC Milan was landed.

The Italians defeated Liverpool 2-1 in Athens thanks to a brace from veteran striker Filippo Inzaghi and Bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth commented : "The punters landed a monumental gamble and we've felt the full force of it."

"Our 7/5 on Milan stood out like a sore thumb on Monday and punters took full advantage of our 103% margin. Milan eventually went off at 11/8 after peaking at 13/10 and we'll be counting the cost well into the night."

Of course all GoonersGuide.com readers should have done well as Simon's UEFA Champions League Final preview on the main site was touting Milan as the winner all week.

And the great prices at Bet365 along with their financial security to make these payouts quickly are some of the reasons why Bet365 remain our #1 recommended bookmaker.

Enjoy your beers.

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Milan are early favourites for UEFA Champs Final

AC Milan are 5/6 favourites (1.83) to lift the Champions League trophy when they contest the final against Liverpool in Athens on May 23.

The Italian side thrashed Manchester United 3-0 in the second leg of their semi-final at the San Siro on Wednesday night to progress 5-3 on aggregate.

First-half goals from Kaka and Clarence Seedorf allowed the Rossoneri to turn around the 3-2 first leg deficit, before substitute Alberto Gilardino put the game beyond United's reach with 13 minutes left.

AC Milan book a meeting with Liverpool, in a repeat of the thrilling 2005 final which finished 3-3 after extra time.

The 2007 Final will take place in the Athens Olympic Stadium on 23rd May.

OUTRIGHT WINNER BEST ODDS :
AC Milan 1.83 at Ladbrokes and EuroBet
Liverpool 2.10 at Betfred.

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