The Italians are having a terrible Season, but are still quite successful in the Champions League. They have recently fired their coach Massimiliano Allegri and put Clarence Seedorf in charge. Bad boy Mario Balotelli is the focal point of their attack, supported by Kaka and Robinho, new signing Keisuke Honda will not be allowed to play in the Champions League as he already played in the competition for CSKA Moscow this Season. Becouse of the suspensions of Ricardo Montolivo (red card) and Sulley Muntari (yellow cards), they have signed Mikael Essien from Chelsea to add some experience and stability to their midfield. Defensively they do not look too solid, but if one of Cristian Zapata and Philippe Mexes can form a good partnership together with new signing Adil Rami, they could improve a lot. They also have good support from their goalkeeper Christian Abbiati, so they could be hard to beat if Seedorf manages to find the right defensive formula.
Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, are having a fantastic Season. Coach Diego Simeone has built a balanced team, with a strong defence and great attack lead by in-form Diego Costa partnered by David Villa. The midfielders Gabi and Tiago Mendes, together with wingers Koke and Arda Turan provide attacking threat and can keep the ball from the opposition to prevent conceding goals. Miranda and Diego Godin form a solid CB pairing and Juanfran and especially Filipe Luis provide support in attack. They also have an extremely talented goalkeeper Thibuat Courtois who does not let in many goals.
Key Fantasy Players:
AC Milan: Balotelli, Kaka, Abbiati
Atletico Madrid: Diego Costa, Arda Turan, Filipe Luis
Prediction: Do not expect Atletico Madrid to beat AC Milan easily, Milan is a regular team in the knockout stages and know how to get the right result. The Italians will put up a fight, but over the two legs Atletico Madrid will still probably go through to the Quarter Finals. Result: 1:1
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| Mario Balotelli vs. Diego Costa (sports.xin.msn.com) |
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