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Music to Milan's ears

Tuesday, 22 September 09, 06:27 PM

If Samson's strength lay in his hair, AC Milan seem to draw their force from the UEFA Champions League anthem. The competition brings the best out of the Rossoneri, so much so that they have taken to playing its theme tune ahead of Serie A games.

Motivation
"We listened to that music in the dressing room before the match," Rossoneri coach Leonardo revealed after Sunday's 1-0 victory against Bologna FC. As a motivational tool it certainly did the trick. After losing 4-0 at home to rivals FC Internazionale Milano at the end of last month a shell-shocked Rossoneri certainly needed lifting. One win from three Serie A games had fans fearing the worst about life after Carlo Ancelotti, Kaká and Paolo Maldini, but since the return of the UEFA Champions League and a 2-1 win at Olympique de Marseille, the storm clouds are clearing.

Winning feeling
"I don't know what happens to us when we hear the Champions League music, we'll have to ask a psychologist to find it out," vice-president Adriano Galliano joked after the win in Marseille. Even when they were struggling in Serie A in 2007, Milan still managed to win the UEFA Champions League and Leonardo admits the competition is part of the club's fabric. "It's something we have within us, we can't start off a season without thinking about winning it," Leonardo told uefa.com. "The Champions League is part of Milan's DNA. The fans expect it, and it's impossible for us to go on to the pitch without thinking about winning."

Ambition unchanged
Milan have always been Italy's standard bearers in Europe. They were the country's first European Cup winners in 1963, have won the trophy more times, seven, than their domestic rivals, and are the only Serie A side to have kicked off their UEFA Champions League campaign this season with victory. But of course, their upturn in fortunes this week is not down to the music alone.

Seedorf drive
Leonardo's decision to play Clarence Seedorf in behind the strikers in place of Ronaldinho provided a creative spark the Rossoneri had been lacking, while former Italy Under-21 international Ignazio Abate's inclusion at right-back has given the side pace down the wing. Seedorf set up both Milan goals against Marseille and scored the winner against Bologna. The transition post-Ancelotti, Maldini and Kaká was always going to take time, but Leonardo's side remain competitive and the ambition is unchanged.

'Prudent'
"If you think about winning every match you play in, of course you think of winning the final as well, that's normal," the Brazilian coach explained. "I think this year we've gone through a few changes so it makes sense to be a bit prudent, but the matches will determine what we can do. We've got to take it one game at a time, keeping calm, then we will see what we can achieve this year." Leonardo may not yet know how far his team will go, but he is sure they are in the right groove, especially now they have found the soundtrack to their season.

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AC Milan draws FC Zurich in UEFA Cup

Saturday, 30 August 08, 08:51 AM

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (AP) -- AC Milan will face FC Zurich in the first round of the UEFA Cup, while Belgium's Standard Liege is facing another trip to the Liverpool region.

Milan is in the competition after finishing fifth in the Italian league last season and missing out on a place in the more prestigious Champions League, a competition it has won seven times.

Milan is making only its fourth appearance in the competition and seeks to reach its first UEFA Cup final. Six years ago, it lost to German club Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals, and it lost to Zinedine Zidane's Bordeaux team in the quarterfinals of the 1995-1996 campaign.

Of the 80 teams in Friday's draw, Standard Liege was paired with Everton two days after it lost to the English club's neighbor Liverpool in a Champions League qualifier. The Belgian side lost 1-0 at Liverpool, after Dirk Kuyt scored with only two minutes left of extra time.

In other key matchups, Sevilla face Austrian club Salzburg and Valencia takes on Portugal's Maritimo. Ajax drew Serbian club Borac, while Sampdoria faces Kaunas of Lithuania.

Tottenham face a tough first match away to Polish side Wisla Krakow, which was eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday but still managed a 1-0 home win over Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona.

"The second leg will be away. They beat Barcelona the other night," Tottenham's sporting director Damien Comolli said. "They are very passionate fans so we will have to do very well at home to start with."

The pressure is on Spurs after a difficult start to the Premier League season coupled with a bitter transfer dispute with star striker Dimitar Berbatov.

"I'm not saying I'm concerned, but we have to be careful. It will be a competitive tie for sure," Comolli said. "I think the talent is there, the quality is there. It's just a question of confidence, the new players settling in."

Portsmouth, which won the FA Cup last season under coach Harry Redknapp, is playing in Europe for the first time and expects a full house at Fratton Park against Portuguese side Guimaraes.

"It is a tough competition as there are sides in it who should be playing in the Champions League," club chief executive Peter Storrie said. "Harry takes all competitions seriously and he will need a strong side. We have not got the biggest squad so it is important to get the balance right."

But Italian club Napoli probably faces an even tougher draw against Lisbon-based side Benfica, which has a wealth of European experience.

"They were all tough opponents and Benfica is probably the best we could have got because at least if we do go out, it would be to a big club," Napoli general manager Pierpaolo Marino said.

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