Champions League

[Rasputin]

Kuyt wants Man Utd in Euro final

Liverpool hero Dirk Kuyt has set his sights on a "historic" Champions League final meeting with rivals Manchester United in Athens.

Dutch striker Kuyt scored the decisive spot-kick as Liverpool beat Chelsea 4-1 on penalties in their semi-final.

He told BBC Sport: "AC Milan and Manchester United are two great teams and clubs.

"But a meeting between two big clubs from the Premiership in the Champions League final would be historic."
Liverpool won their semi-final second leg clash at Anfield 1-0 thanks to Daniel Agger's first-half strike.

With the tie finishing 1-1 on aggregate after extra-time it went down to penalties.

Kuyt scored the decisive spot-kick to put Liverpool through to a second Champions League final in three years.

The forward added: "It is fantastic for us to reach the Champions League final. There is no bigger game in European club football and to do it in my first season here is an amazing feeling.

"We felt we deserved to win after the 90 minutes and extra time. We were very strong and to see that last penalty go in was a great feeling.

"It is just fantastic for us. We had chances. I hit the post and had a goal disallowed, but we got there in the end and Pepe Reina was sensational for us in the penalty shoot-out.

"You come to clubs like Liverpool for nights like this.

"We wanted to do it for our fans as well because they were fantastic in the way they supported us.

"We have beaten some very strong teams to get to the final, like Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven and now Chelsea.

"It is not up to us who we play, Manchester United and AC Milan have to fight for their place, but certainly two English clubs playing each other would be history.

"Now we have to get ready for the final because we want to win it now. We have come this far so we want to win it and we think we can.

"We have shown we can win over two legs against the best sides, now it is down to one match."

[abadani69]

AC Milan reached the Champions League final by beating Manchester United 3-0 Wednesday in the second leg and advancing 5-3 on total goals.

Milan got goals from Kaka, Clarence Seedorf and substitute Alberto Gilardino to advance to the May 23 title game against Liverpool in Athens, Greece.

"The way we played the first half I think is the dream of every coach," Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We played perfectly,"

Liverpool, a five-time European champion, defeated Chelsea 4-1 on penalty kicks Tuesday in the other semifinal after a 1-0 win put the teams even at 1-1 on total goals.

Kaka, who scored both goals in the 3-2 loss last week at Old Trafford, gave Milan the lead in the 11th minute. The Brazilian beat United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar after Seedorf headed the ball into his path.

Seedorf made it 2-0 in the 30th, controlling a cross from the right side with his chest and shooting past Van der Sar. Gilardino scored in the 78th after running into the penalty area alone and looping the ball over the goalkeeper.

The result ended United's hopes of repeating its 1999 triple of the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup titles.

"I think they were better prepared physically, United manager Alex Ferguson said. "They were certainly sharper and quicker to the ball and pressed really well."

Milan has won the European Cup six times and will be playing in the final for the third time in the last five years. The title game will be a rematch of the 2005 final when Liverpool overturned a 3-0 halftime deficit and won the title 3-2 on penalty kicks.

"When Liverpool won, a few players were already thinking about revenge for the 2005 final," Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said. "The Istanbul wound is still fresh in our hearts."

Milan, which has never lost to United over two legs, also knocked the English team out of the competition in the semifinals in 1958 and 1969.

United's best chance came from captain Ryan Giggs, who shot straight at Milan goalkeeper Dida in the 20th minute. The Red Devils also failed to score on its last visit to the San Siro in 2005, losing 1-0 in the first knockout round.

"You put your hands up and say, 'We played a good side tonight,"' Ferguson said. "But we gave the goals away cheaply."

Milan was without captain Paolo Maldini because of a knee injury from the first leg.

[abadani69]

Manchester United's hopes of turning the Champions League final into an all-English affair were crushed as AC Milan brushed aside the Red Devils on Wednesday.

Milan won, 3-0, on the night at the San Siro, moving into the final on 5-3 aggregate. It will play English Premiership giants Liverpool on May 23 in a repeat of the final of two years ago won by the Brits.

"We are very happy to be playing in the final and equally happy to face Liverpool," Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti said. "What happened two years ago has no weight on the upcoming final. We want to win it."

Holding a one-goal lead from the first meeting at Manchester's Old Trafford last week, United saw its advantage wiped out by Kaka inside 11 minutes.

Clarence Seedorf capped a brilliant personal display by scoring the second goal at 30 minutes. Hope had virtually evaporated for United by the time Alberto Gilardino drilled home a third goal late on.

Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted his team had "cut their own throats" with their poor performance in the first half.

"It is disappointing to come so close," Ferguson said. "We had done so well to get here. Milan were fresher and better prepared physically but we needed to cope better. We had to get through the first 25 minutes without cutting our own throats, but we gave away two sloppy goals.

"Cristiano Ronaldo had a disappointing night, but he knows that and on nights like these he sees the professionalism and experience of AC Milan. It is good to see where he has to go."

Ancelotti described his team's the display in the first half as "perfect."

"We knew we could play a good game and that's what we did," he said. "The first half was intense and our performance allowed us to go on and win a very very delicate game."

There was a hesitancy, almost a timidness about United's play. Routine passes went astray with unnerving regularity, loose balls were snapped up by Milan players. Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, so brilliant on domestic and European stages recently for United, could do nothing right.

United's defense, supposedly strengthened by the introduction of fit-again Nemanja Vidic, creaked and groaned like an old gate in need of a spot of oil.

In contrast, Milan was superb, with Kaka and Seedorf among the most impressive.

United was given a warning of what was to come as early as the second minute when Kaka's free kick was headed out to Seedorf, whose shot would have gone in had fellow Dutchman Edwin van der Sar not tipped it over the crossbar.

There was just a hope that if United could hold onto its precious first-leg advantage, a stronger force might eventually emerge as the game wore on.

But the Red Devils were caught out by an "English" goal as Alessandro Nesta launched a long ball toward the edge of the penalty area. Seedorf won the battle in the air and turned his header neatly into the path of Kaka, who fired a low shot into the bottom corner.

Ryan Giggs tried to get United back into the game, drilling a low shot that Dida saved at the second attempt.

Disaster was lurking for United as Vidic headed Kaka's cross to Seedorf. The midfielder brushed Darren Fletcher away, then took maximum advantage of a fortuitous ricochet as Vidic closed in to make a tackle, volleying the ball into the net.

It got no better for United after halftime. As Ronaldo hung his head at another pass sent straight to an opponent, Milan burst forward, Kaka beat Vidic and only a fine save from Van der Sar saved the day.

Suddenly United stepped up a gear. Ronaldo fired two free kicks into the Milan defensive wall, Darren Fletcher shot wide and Rooney appealed in vain for a penalty after being barged down.

But the goal that would have given United fresh hope would not come. In the end it was Milan who scored again, Gilardino racing through alone 12 minutes from time before beating Van der Sar in clinical fashion.

[Rasputin]

[abadani69]

AC Milan will get another chance to beat Liverpool in the Champions League final.

Two years after their epic at Istanbul, in which Liverpool rallied from three goals down to win on penalty kicks, they'll face each other again in the May 23 finale at Olympic Stadium in Athens.

Milan, a six-time European Cup champion, set up the repeat final on Wednesday by beating Manchester United 3-0 and 5-3 on aggregate. The Italian team will be playing in the Champions League final for the third time in five years.

Five-time champion Liverpool advanced on Tuesday, ousting Chelsea 4-1 on penalties after a 1-0 win put the teams level at 1-1 on aggregate.

"When Liverpool won, a few players were already thinking about revenge for the 2005 final," Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said. "The Istanbul wound is still fresh in our hearts."

In the 2005 final, Milan led Liverpool 3-0 at halftime. But the English team scored three times in the second half and eventually won 3-2 on penalties.

"People claim we are not a great side, but we are doing something special," Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said. "It is an unbelievable achievement to get to two European Cup finals in three years."

Added Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti: "It's certainly special. The Reds have less quality than Manchester United, but they're more physical."

Milan's win kept the final from being an all-English game, and kept Man United from repeating its 1999 triple crown when it won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

Until Tuesday, Chelsea had been hoping to win four trophies. The Blues have already won the League Cup; will face Man United in the FA Cup final on May 19; and trail United by five points in the English league with three games to go.

Neither Liverpool nor Milan is playing for much more than another European Cup title.

Milan, which started the season with an eight-point penalty for its role in the Italian match-fixing scandal, is in third place in Serie A and has already been eliminated from the country's cup competition. Liverpool is in third place in the English league and already assured of playing in the Champions League next year.

Dirk Kuyt, who scored the deciding penalty kick against Chelsea and had a goal called off for being offside, said he came to Liverpool to win trophies.

"This is one of the biggest and I'm very pleased to have this happen in my first year here. Now we just have to win it," Kuyt said.

Liverpool got its lone goal from Daniel Agger on Tuesday, while Pepe Reina saved penalties from Arjen Robben and Geremi in the shootout.

Liverpool co-owner George Gillett Jr., an American businessman, has already said he will be making the trip to Greece.

"You bet I will be in Athens. I have seen some marvelous games already in Europe and that will be another," Gillett said. "I have worked in the States for many years, but football in Europe is like any other sport I have seen, but on steroids."

Liverpool, the most successful team in English soccer with a record 18 league titles, will be playing in the final for the seventh time. Milan will be making its 11th appearance.

"We got through and we do not want to go all the way to the final and lose," Liverpool midfielder Boudewijn Zenden said.

On Wednesday, Kaka, Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Gilardino each scored for Milan.

[abadani69]

AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has waited two years for revenge.

Berlusconi is convinced his team will beat Liverpool in the Champions League final in Athens on May 23.

"When Milan plays with an offensive willingness as we did against United, there is only one possible result and that is the win," Berlusconi said after AC Milan's win over Manchester United on Wednesday.

The Red Devils were the favorites going into the semifinal showdown in Italy after taking a 3-2 lead in the opening leg, but they struggled against Milan, which won 3-0 on the night to go through 5-3 on aggregate.

The reward for Milan is a meeting with English Premiership giant Liverpool and the opportunity to avenge a defeat in the 2005 final in Istanbul.

Liverpool won after a penalty shootout, having come back from a 3-0 halftime deficit in arguably the most exciting final in the history of Europe's elite club competition. Berlusconi believes this time his men will get the job done.

"We will be stars in Italy, in Europe and in the world," he said. "We will win the Cup which we handed to Liverpool two years ago.

"Their (Liverpool) goalkeeper will not make us lose concentration again with his dances (during the shootout), we are training specifically for this."

Berlusconi's enthusiasm is understandable considering few could have anticipated Milan reaching the final in Athens after enduring a nightmare start to the campaign.

Milan began the Serie A season with an eight-point deduction for match-fixing and had to go through pre-qualifying in the Champions League.

"We are stronger than jealousy, stronger than misfortune and stronger than injustice," said Berlusconi. "After a difficult start to the season, where we were punished for not doing anything wrong, we have not forgotten our main mission, which is to win."

Berlusconi also expressed his intention to extend manager Carlo Ancelotti's contract. Ancelotti has one year left on his deal.

"I went to the changing room to sack Ancelotti," Berlusconi joked. "Instead, I will have to put up with him for a long time."

Red Devils midfielder Ryan Giggs has warned his shellshocked teammates not to start feeling sorry for themselves.

"Of course, as soon as the final whistle goes you are really disappointed," he said. "But we have to remember we still have so much to go for this season and we cannot feel sorry for ourselves.

"Yes, we are greedy. We wanted to win everything this season. Now we are out of the Champions League, we have to try to win the double (English Premiership title and FA Cup)."

Giggs opted against singling out individuals for the San Siro debacle, although many of United's stars failed to perform.

One who certainly didn't was Cristiano Ronaldo, who began the game with an elaborate attempted backheel to Gabriel Heinze which instead rolled straight to a Milan player. It seemed to set the tone for a dreadful start by the Red Devils as routine passes went astray and the normally confident swagger of the United players gave way to a timidity which allowed Milan to seize control.

"You can look to individuals for inspiration but as a team, we just did not perform," Giggs said. "We knew Milan would come flying out of the traps. We expected it. We knew they would try to put us under pressure but we didn't react in a positive way and we paid the consequences."

[abadani69]

تيم فوتبال آث ميلان ايتاليا روز چهارشنبه با پيروزي مقتدارنه ۳بر صفر در مقال تيم فوتبال منچستريونايتد انگليس،راهي مسابقه*نهايي جام باشگاه*هاي فوتبال اروپا شد تا همراه با تيم فوتبال ليورپول انگليس بارديگر خاطره فينال اين جام در سال ۲۰۰۵را زنده كند.

به گزارش خبرگزاريها از ميلان، ميلاني*ها كه هفته گذشته در مسابقه رفت مرحله نيمه نهايي جام باشگاه*هاي فوتبال اروپا در ورزشگاه "اولد ترافورد" ۳بر ۲مغلوب منچستر يونايتد شده بودند در بازي برگشت از همان آغاز برتري خود را بر حريف تحميل كردند و در نيمه اول با دو گل كاكا در دقيقه ۱۱و سيدورف در دقيقه ۳۰به برتري دست يافتند.

در نيمه دوم نيز هرچند منچستري*ها بر حملات خود افزودند اما سرانجام جيلاردينو كه بجاي اينزاگي به ميدان آمده بود در دقيقه ۷۸تير خلاص را بر سرخپوشان منچستر وارد كرد و سومين گل تيمش را به ثمر رساند.

ميلان كه در سال ۲۰۰۵در ديدار نهايي جام باشگاههاي اروپا در يك بازي باور نكردني پس از برتري ۳بر صفر سرانجام در ضربات پنالتي مغلوب تيم فوتبال ليورپول شده بود از هم*اكنون به ديدار نهايي امسال در روز چهارشنبه دوم خردادماه در آتن درمقابل ليورپول مي*انديشد تا ضمن جبران شكست دو سال پيش براي هفتمين بار قهرمان اروپا شود.

يادآوري مي*شود كه تيم فوتبال ليورپول سه شنبه شب با پيروزي در ضربات پنالتي در مقابل تيم چلسي جواز ورود به ديدار نهايي جام باشگاه*هاي اروپا را بدست آورد.

[abadani69]

بازيكنان باشگاه ليورپول انگليس در صورت كسب ششمين عنوان قهرماني اروپايي خود در ديدار فينال جام قهرمانان باشگاههاي اروپا برابر ميلان كه در ورزشگاه شهر آتن برگزار مي*شود، ۲/۵ميليون پوند پاداش دريافت خواهند كرد.

به گزارش سايت گل، "تام هيكس" و "جرج ژيلت" مالكان جديد باشگاه ليورپول كه از موفقيت اين تيم در رسيدن به فينال جام قهرمانان، هيجان زده*اند، به بازيكنان وعده داده*اند در صورت كسب دومين قهرماني خود طي سه سال اخير، پاداش قابل توجهي دريافت مي*كنند.

هر يك از بازيكنان اين تيم ۱۰۰هزار پوند پاداش خواهند گرفت كه معادل چند هفته حقوق بازيكنان بزرگ است.

ميلان و ليورپول در ديداري كه تكرار فينال رقابتهاي جام قهرمانان باشگاههاي اروپا در سال ۲۰۰۵است، روز دوم خرداد در ورزشگاه المپيك شهر آتن به مصاف هم مي*روند.

ليورپول دو سال قبل بعد از جبران سه گل خورده در وقت قانوني، ميلان را در ضربات پنالتي شكست داد و جام قهرماني را بدست آورد.

ليورپول با ۶۷امتياز هم اكنون تيم سوم جدول رده*بندي رقابتهاي فوتبال باشگاه*هاي برتر انگليس است.

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اتحاديه فوتبال اروپا(يوفا)اعلام كرد، تعدادي از بليت*هاي مسابقه فينال جام باشگاه*هاي اروپا بين تيم*هاي ليورپول وآث ميلان به*دليل فروش غير قانوني در انگليس باطل شده است.

به گزارش خبرگزاري رويترز از نيون، يوفا در بيانيه*اي اعلام كرد:اين اقدام برپايه قانوني است كه از روز۱۷فروردين درانگليس و ولز اجرايي شده و براساس آن فروش بليت براي يك مسابقه مشخص فوتبال توسط افراد غيرمجاز جرم جنايي محسوب مي*شود.

اين قانون شامل مسابقات آينده جام باشگاه*هاي اروپا و همچنين مسابقات جام يوفا و جام ملت*هاي اروپا هم مي*شود.

يوفا افزود:به چندين شركت هم نامه*هاي هشدارآميزي فرستاده شده*واز آنها خواسته شده*است كه فروش بليت مسابقات جام يوفا وفينال جام باشگاه*هاي اروپا را متوقف كنند.

در اين بيانيه آمده است: فروش غير قانوني بليت*ها علاوه بر اينكه امنيت مسابقات رااز بين برده و مانع از تفكيك تماشاگران مي*شود،مشكلاتي را نيز در امنيت و نظم عمومي به وجود مي*آورد.

گزارشي از جزييات تعداد بليت*هاي باطل شده يا فروشنده اين بليت*ها در دست نيست.

فينال جام باشگاه*هاي اروپا روز ۲۳مه ( ۲خرداد) در آتن برگزار مي*شود.

[abadani69]

Steven Gerrard has revealed the hunger that is propelling him toward more European glory.

The Liverpool captain and his teammates wear five stars on their shirts to mark the five occasions the European Cup has been won by the Anfield club.

Next Wednesday in Athens, Greece, AC Milan will again stand in the way of Gerrard and a winner's medal.

"I want another star on the shirt, another European Cup win and that is the inspiration for us all," the English midfielder said. "The Champions League is the biggest and we want to succeed again. That final night in Istanbul was the best of my footballing life so far, and I want to match it in Athens. I don't care how we do it, if it's a boring 1-0 win, we'll take that.

"I experienced all the emotions possible in the last final with AC, and I have watched the highlights of the game many times, listened to the commentary and taken it all in. I have pictures hanging in my home of the scenes in Liverpool when we came back with the trophy. I want more to hang up this time. I want to finish my career with more than one European Cup. That is my plan."

Gerrard will celebrate his 27th birthday two days after the Athens final, and by then he should have committed himself to a new contract.

His burning ambition, though, is to take his club back to their peak of the 1970s and 1980s.

"If we win next week I won't be happy, I want more European Cup winner's medals," Gerrard said. "I want as many honors for this club as I can get before I retire, and every one I win makes me hungrier for more. You are a long time retired, and I want to say I played my part in putting this club back at the top of world football.

"The players do not want to come back from Athens upset and with regrets that we have not brought the cup home. We want to make history, be heroes and come home winners. To win one final was absolutely magnificent, to do it twice could be really special. The expectation level is exactly the same as 2005. The same prize is there. The win in the Nou Camp against Barcelona gave us the confidence and belief we can get to this final. We have done a lot of hard work against the likes of Barcelona and Chelsea and in the group stages to get to the final. We don't want to waste all that by losing in the final."

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti believes the passion of Gennaro Gattuso will be crucial to his side's chances of gaining revenge on Liverpool.

Having thrown away a three-goal lead to lose to the Reds on penalties in Istanbul two years ago, Ancelotti believes his side has learned their lesson and could not be better prepared for the biggest date on the European club football calendar.

And he has highlighted the fiery Gattuso as his main man.

"Gattuso is always the way he is," Ancelotti said. "He is like it in games, in training and probably also at home in his private life. Kaka is a natural talent, but Gattuso diffuses so much of his passion that he affects everybody. The fans love him because they can relate to him."

Gattuso will be more fiery than ever as he seeks revenge for the crushing defeat in 2005.

"It is a difficult memory to delete, and I hope it gives us the strength and energy to give us that little bit extra to beat them," he said. "We have had that game in our mind for the last two years and we keep thinking back to it, and that can be a stimulus. There have been lots of jokes at our expense and lies, like that we had the champagne out at halftime. They hurt me and anger me because too much has been said about it."

For Gattuso, there can be nothing sweeter than the prospect of winning the Champions League just under 12 months after winning the World Cup for Italy.

"When I was growing up, we always felt that the World Cup was the most important trophy, followed by the Champions League, UEFA Cup, Cup Winners' Cup and then the national championship," he said.

"If you offered me three Scudetti and one Champions League, I would take the latter. The prestige of the Champions League is enormous."

Ancelotti believes his side is in better shape to overcome the Merseysiders in Athens than they were the last time they met.

"The big difference for Milan is that we were a little tired going into the final last time, whereas now we are in great shape," he said. "In 2005, it was an ordinary achievement to reach the final, but this year it has been extraordinary.

"To reach the final, despite the difficulties we had at the start of the season, fills me with pride."

Kaka and Clarence Seedorf demolished Manchester United in the semifinal, but winning the final will not only depend on individuals. It will be the elder statesmen in the squad who Ancelotti feels will make the difference.

"I think experience is a major factor in games like this," Ancelotti said. "Most importantly on the eve of the game. Having players who have already been in this situation and are used to it takes you into the game with just the right level of tension.

"(Paolo) Maldini, (Alessandro) Costacurta and even Gattuso and (Andrea) Pirlo have a lot of games in their heads and this is really important."

[ayoub]

Liverpoooooooooooooooooooool

hw cud u miss da greatest team in da wrld out????

were gonna win it agen

[abadani69]

فرودگاه بين*المللي آتن برنامه*هاي فوق*العاده*اي را براي ورود نزديك به ۳۴هزارنفرازهواداران انگليسي وايتاليايي براي تماشاي فينال جام باشگاه*هاي اروپا بين تيم*هاي ليورپول و آث ميلان در روز ۲۳مه ( ۲خرداد) اعلام كرد.

به گزارش خبرگزاري فرانسه ازآتن،از جمله اين برنامه، تهيه دستبندهاي ويژه براي تشخيص هواداران تيم*هاي رقيب و جدا كردن آنها از يكديگر است.

فرودگاه بين*المللي آتن در بيانيه*اي اعلام كرد: هواداران تيم*ها به محض ورود ، دستبندهاي رنگي*دريافت خواهند.

براي جلوگيري ازهرگونه برخورد احتمالي بين هواداران دو تيم، هواداران ليورپول به وسيله*اتوبوس به ورزشگاه المپيك برده مي*شوند درحاليكه هواداران ميلان از طريق مترو به ورزشگاه خواهند رفت.

بنابراين گزارش، ۳۰۰كادر امنيتي اضافي در فرودگاه و ۱۲۰داوطلب به جلوگيري از ازدحام در فرودگاه كمك خواهند كرد. مقامات سفارت انگليس و ايتاليا نيز براي كمك در فرودگاه حضور خواهند داشت.

در مجموع ۱۰۰پرواز از انگليس و ۸۰پرواز از ايتاليا از روز ۲۱مه تا ۲۴مه وارد آتن خواهد شد و علاوه بر پروازهاي معمولي، ۱۰۶جت خصوصي نيز براي مهمانان ويژه در نظر گرفته شده است.

بر اساس اعلام اين فرودگاه، روز ۲۴مه، رفت و آمد مسافران ممكن است ۲۰ درصد بيشتر از ۶۸هزار نفري باشد كه سال ۲۰۰۴در جريان برگزاري بازي*هاي المپيك آتن، ثبت شد.

هر باشگاه ۱۷هزار بليت براي هوادارانش كسب كرده است و۹هزاربليت ديگر توسط اتحاديه فوتبال اروپا (يوفا) به فروش رسيد.

اصلي*ترين نگراني مقامات يونان در مورد ۱۵هزار هواداري است كه بدون بليت وارد آتن شده و در سطح شهر پراكنده خواهند شد.

حدود ۱۵هزارافسر پليس نيز در عملياتي كه پس از المپيك آتن، كمتر ديده شده است، در جريان اين مسابقه به گشت زني مشغول خواهند بود.

[abadani69]

Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy wants to put a Champions League winner's medal on his CV as an emphatic answer to his army of critics.

Bellamy senses he may not be in the starting line-up against AC Milan in Athens on Wednesday, but he will be desperate to at least make the substitutes bench for the "greatest game of my life."

The Welshman traveled to Athens, Greece with the squad Monday, aware his career at Anfield is in the balance. There is speculation he could be shipped out at the end of the campaign as manager Rafael Benitez's embarks on a summer spending spree with two strikers his priority.

English Premiership clubs Aston Villa, Blackburn and West Ham are all believed to be in the hunt for the Cardiff-born firebrand, but Bellamy will put all that aside to give everything he can muster to the Liverpool cause.

Bellamy is no stranger to controversy - on the pitch or in his private life. And because of that he is a constant target for the critics.

"I am just trying to make sure I cement a place at least on the bench," Bellamy said. "I don't want to be watching from the stands, I just want to be involved, and hopefully lifting the trophy. Then it does not matter what anyone has said, or written about me over the years, I will have the biggest trophy of all to bring out now and again to show them."

And as for the constant transfer speculation, Bellamy is dismissive, saying, "If people know my career, they will know how often I have been the subject of transfer speculation. It happens to me all the time. I was even supposed to be off in January just a few months after signing for Liverpool.

"I'm used to it. No matter where I have been, whatever club. It was always the same at Newcastle, it was the same at Blackburn and Norwich. And even Celtic. I have always seemingly been about to be off somewhere. But I seem to have a contract each season. My missus is happy about that!"

If this is to be Bellamy's last game for Liverpool after one season playing for the club he supported as a boy, he wants to be part of the Anfield history.

"When you are at Liverpool you are always expected to win everything," Bellamy said. "When I was at Newcastle we were in the tournament to see how far we could get, but at Liverpool you are in it to win it. With the history of this club, and the manager we have, it is always realistic to say we can win it. Every player believes we can win this trophy.

"We knew we could beat Barcelona. They left a lot of gaps, and for me as a forward there was always space to play because they are always so attack-minded. Our manager knew that. We had seen them play and knew we could cause them problems."

Bellamy thinks Liverpool's experience should help.

"Our history is a benefit," he said. "This is not a club trying to win it for the first time, this club has so much history. Now I have a chance to be part of that history, part of a team that could become that history. To be mentioned among the names who have achieved so much before, to have won the trophy five times. That is enough to drive anyone on, to be talked about in those terms.

"I am not daft enough not to realize I will not get a bigger night in my career than this. There is no guarantee I will be involved, but I aim to be in the squad, grasp the opportunity and relish being in such a final.

And Bellamy knows what a victory would mean.

"It is something I have been working for all my life. All the rehabs I have been through after the string of injuries I have had will be worthwhile if I am involved."

[abadani69]

AC Milan talisman Kaka is considered by many to be the world's best player, but the Brazil international believes Liverpool striker Peter Crouch could be the dangerman in Wednesday's Champions League final in Athens.

The 6-7 Crouch was not yet a Liverpool player when the Anfield side pulled off their stunning win over Milan in Istanbul two years ago, making the move from Southampton that summer.

However, 25-year-old Kaka believes 26-year-old Crouch's addition to the squad since that epic win gives Liverpool an extra dimension.

"He's a dangerous player in the air, when the ball is in the area he's always an opportunist. We have to pay attention to him if he plays," Kaka told AC Milan's in-house television station Milan Channel.

Not that Kaka is anticipating an easy ride if Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez should decide to keep the England striker out of his starting lineup .

"If a different one plays there will be other things we have to worry about," said Kaka.

The Brazilian said the dramatic defeat of 2005, when Milan lost on penalties having led 3-0 at halftime, had no bearing on his thinking ahead of the two teams' rematch in Athens, Greece.

"For me the motivation is to get to a final and have the possibility of winning the Champions League," he added. "Everyone's talking about revenge for what happened in 2005. I think what happened is a thing of the past.

"It happened. We lost that final, Liverpool were the champions and it'll always be remembered that way."

Kaka also revealed a begrudging respect for the Anfield side's often-criticized style.

"I think Liverpool, differently from Manchester United, play a game that's very characteristic of English football," he said.

"They're a very well-trained team by Benitez and a very tactical team, they mark tight and have all the traits of an English team. Steven Gerrard is an excellent, modern player because he's a player who runs, marks, knows how to pass, cross, score goals, and is a leader in the field for Liverpool. He's a player I'd like to have in my team."

Kaka is confident the mood in the Rossoneri camp is positive with Carlo Ancelotti's side looking to avenge the Istanbul setback which denied Milan what would have been a seventh European Cup/Champions League win.

"Training went well, we talked about certain things that will be important in the game," Kaka said. "We are tranquil and relaxed. We know our own strength and what we can do."

Kaka admitted it took Milan a long time to recover from a difficult start to the season with the club handed an eight-point deduction for their role in the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian football last summer.

"Bit by bit we managed to gain the confidence that we would reach another final, and that desire to win has grown," said the Latin American.

"We are in the final so we have a chance of winning it, that would be wonderful."

Kaka may be the brightest current star in the Milan firmament but he also praised Ancelotti for managing to keep the team focused on the job in hand.

"Carlo is special, he knows how to manage the group, manage people, this is all very important in football," Kaka said.

"Milan is full of stars, many great players and they need a coach as good as this."

Ancelotti has admitted that he has two doubts about his starting line-up with injury concerns about the 38-year-old captain Paolo Maldini, a man who made his Serie A debut for the San Siro club back in 1985 at the age of 16.

[abadani69]

AC Milan is way off the lead in the Italian league and hasn't won the Serie A title in three years. Liverpool is far behind Manchester United in the Premier League and hasn't won the English championship since 1990.

Yet, Milan and Liverpool are playing for European soccer's biggest prize Wednesday, giving the Champions League a bad name.

It's not really the fault of Milan or Liverpool. The competition simply should be renamed. It's certainly not a league, and it's far from guaranteed a champion will win it.

The Champions and Nearly Champions Preliminary Round, Group Stage and Knockout Cup might be a more accurate description of a competition that has changed format repeatedly over the years.

When Europe's premier club competition started in 1955, it was called the European Cup and involved the champions of the major European domestic leagues.

Simple.

As it grew in stature and TV began to take a far bigger interest, however, European soccer's governing body, UEFA, tinkered with the format so teams that made it to the last 16 would play each other in four groups and then revert to elimination play.

But the format allowed for the possibility of big clubs getting knocked out during early rounds, and that was of no real interest to TV.

UEFA faced a major problem in the 1990s when the top clubs -- mainly from Italy, Spain, England and Germany -- were unhappy they didn't make more money from TV revenues and commercial spinoffs. They began to make noises that they wanted to form their own breakaway competition on a league basis.

If they all pulled out, then the European Champions Cup wouldn't be much of a prize for those who were left. So UEFA came up with an alternative to stop the big clubs from leaving.

The competition would be reconstructed so the champions would be seeded directly into the group phase and play at least six lucrative games before the knockout round. But UEFA didn't stop there.

Not only did the domestic champions in the big leagues make it into the Champions League but so did the runners-up. Then the third- and fourth-place teams also got the chance to make it through the qualifying round and into the group stage.

The champions of the likes of Denmark, Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic were overlooked by the seeding process and usually met a powerhouse team early in the competition. The clubs from the Premier League, Serie A and the Spanish league would bulldoze their way to the final stages.

Three Spanish teams made it to the semifinals in 2000, with Real Madrid beating Valencia in the final. Serie A clubs AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus reached the same stage in 2003, resulting in an all-Italian final. Three Premier League teams -- Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United -- made it to this season's semifinals.

Look at the last 16 of this season's Champions League, when the competition reverted to the knockout format. England had four teams still going strong -- Liverpool, Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal. Italy had Milan, Inter and AS Roma. Spain had Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia.

Rival coaches have different thoughts on the merits of winning their domestic leagues compared with the Champions League.

"The Champions League is the most important for us," Milan's Carlo Ancelotti said.

Yet Manchester United's Alex Ferguson, Arsenal's Arsene Wenger and Chelsea's Jose Mourinho say they favor the Premier League because it is harder to win. Maybe they would change their minds if they won the Champions League more often.

So why not make the Champions League a true league?

Clubs that reach the final under the current format have to play at least 13 games -- 15 if they have to play in the qualifying rounds. So why not scrap the preliminary rounds and take the top 16 champions in Europe and let them play each other on a round-robin basis? It would fit into the same time format.

While it would justify the name of the competition, it probably would not meet with approval from the powerhouse teams favoring the current format. But UEFA's new president, Michel Platini, might go along with it.

He already has decided that the big leagues should have three, rather than four, teams in the competition. That would give the champions of the smaller domestic leagues a better chance of reaching the knockout phase.

Milan and Liverpool wouldn't be in Wednesday's final if it were a champions-only competition, even though the Italian club has won the European title six times and the English team five.

One of them, however, will still become champion of Europe.