Soccer Extreme : When the draw for the Champions League was made, Auxerre were salivating at the prospect of meeting European heavyweights Real Madrid, AC Milan and Ajax. Though the rhetoric from the players was largely upbeat about the challenges that lay ahead, there could be little doubt that AJA were the group minnows. Their heads are on the chopping block with four games played, but equally they’re not out of the race for the last 16 yet.Jean Fernandez’s men have picked up only three points. Those came at home last time out against Ajax, when they defied a nasty injury situation to overcome the Dutch side 2-1 thanks to goals from Frederic Sammaritano and Steeven Langil. Only two points behind second-placed AC Milan, victory on Tuesday could conceivably take the French side second.
Sammaritano is certainly not approaching the game with a defeatist attitude, stating to Foot01: “If we manage to start the match well, knowing that the fans at the Abbe-Deschamps will inspire us, nothing is impossible.
“If we win, we will be completely revived in the race. It is true that this will be complicated, because we started with three defeats in the Champions League. Milan leads the Italian championship and are a great team.”
AJA are right to carry confidence into this encounter. After a woeful start to the season they are presently one of France’s most in-form teams, though they could only draw 1-1 with Saint-Etienne at the weekend.
Mentally tough
While Auxerre have recently found their feet, AC Milan have been up and running since a three-match winless streak in Serie A was ended by a 1-0 home win over Genoa. Admittedly they would suffer defeat away to Real Madrid, while a tie in Amsterdam against Ajax wasn’t too smart either, but domestically they’ve been almost flawless since the autumn really took hold.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side came incredibly close to being the first to upset Jose Mourinho three weeks ago. A couple of goals from Filippo Inzaghi turned the match in the favour of the Italians after Gonzalo Higuain had given the visitors the lead, but a 94th minute strike from Pedro Leon denied them.
Victory would have seen AC Milan on the very brink of the knock-out stage, but as things stand they are very much in the mix to finish third should results go awry. There is little evidence that such a catastrophe is likely, with 1-0 wins over Inter and Fiorentina domestically highlighting the progress that has been made by the club over the last few months.
“We have reached a mental balance that is also evident in training during the week,” Allegri told the media after Sunday’s hard-fought success over the Fiorentina. “Credit must be paid to the boys at the back who rolled up their sleeves and battled when the visitors looked to come back at us.”
If such an attitude can be found again on Tuesday, AC Milan have to be considered favourites to pick up the points as they boast technically superior players to their hosts. (goal)