Returning from the winter break, Serie A serves up a match on Sunday night which could be the start of something truly special.
Next in Line?
After having to wait until January (he was initially purchased by Milan last summer) to officially become a member of the Milan squad, due to regulations regarding the minimum age of foreign players, young Brazilian Alexandre Pato will finally be able to don the famous red-and-black jersey of AC Milan.
With not much going on in the transfer market this month, the main topic of late has been the long-awaited debut of this player, one who has been compared to many other great Brazilian forwards, particularly current Milan striker Ronaldo. His performances in the FIFA Club World Cup last winter alerted the world of his talent. Because of Milan’s strong ties to the country most famous for Samba and football, the Rossoneri were able to snatch up the latest and greatest player from Brazil.
The comparisons which have been placed on him have seen names such as the aforementioned Ronaldo and Marco Van Basten (the legendary Dutch forward who came to prominence with Milan) mentioned. Not only that, but he will be taking over possession of the number seven shirt for Milan, one which previously belonged to the second-leading scorer in club history, Andriy Shevchenko.
While much of the news about Pato has been what people supposedly in the know think he will do, but the most recent reports have circled around the comments he himself made, predicting that he would score twice in his first match.
If his words can be materialized, then he will be an instant hit in Milan. The club have struggled to score all season long, especially the strikers. Most of the goals have come from the midfield department, but this reliance on the players in the center of the park has become a real hindrance, as opposing defenses have started to learn how to prevent the midfield from advancing into scoring position.
High Flyers
Napoli, who put out one of the greatest teams in all of Europe during the 1980’s, fell on hard times recently, and have returned to the Italian top-flight only this season, having been out of Serie A for seven years.
However, despite only coming up to Serie A this term, they are playing well, and have put in good enough performances to position themselves in seventh place, which is five spots ahead of Milan at the moment.
This seemingly lofty positioning has been attained by putting in quality performances, not only against sides they are around the same level as, but also against the top clubs in Italy. A narrow 2-1 loss away to Serie A leaders Inter Milan in early October was then followed by two very surprising results. The first, away to Roma, was a thrilling 4-4 draw in which both sides traded punches. Napoli got in the final blow by leveling the score with only a handful of minutes left, through Marcelo Zalayeta in the 84th minute.
Then came one of the most shocking results of the season, which was a 3-1 home victory against Juventus. The visitors took the lead almost immediately after play resumed following halftime through Alessandro Del Piero, but the Partenopei tied the score at one apiece with a strike from Walter Gargano.
The final score line was achieved with two penalties from Maurizio Domizzi in the space of eight minutes.
Napoli will be up against the wall in this match, however, as Milan must start making up for the lost points from the first part of the season, as they lay eleven points adrift of fourth place, which is the final Champions League spot, and their main target for the rest of the season.
FORM GUIDE (last five fixtures)
Milan
12/4 Milan 1-0 Celtic UEFA Champions League
12/13 Urawa 0-1 Milan World Club Cup
12/16 Milan 4-2 Boca Juniors World Club Cup
12/20 Milan 1-2 Catania Coppa Italia
12/23 Inter 2-1 Milan Serie A
Napoli
12/2 Atalanta 5-1 Napoli Serie A
12/9 Napoli 1-0 Parma Serie A
12/16 Siena 1-1 Napoli Serie A
12/19 Lazio 2-1 Napoli Coppa Italia
12/23 Napoli 1-1 Torino Serie A
TEAM NEWS
Milan are without Filippo Inzaghi, who is recovering from both kidney stones and a foot injury. Clarence Seedorf is not totally fit, and will probably sit this one out, while Gennaro Gattuso is suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Napoli will be missing attacking option Marcelo Zalayeta, as well as Manuele Blasi, both through suspension. This means Ezequiel Lavezzi will take up the responsibility in attack.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Alexandre Pato (Milan) – Who else? His debut has been a hot topic of conversation for some time now, and the anticipation of the crowd has been furthered by the player’s claim that he will score a brace.
Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli) – Some Napoli supporters, with memories of the club’s glory days back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s on their minds, have compared this young Argentine to a certain Diego Maradona. He was quick to disspell such a comparison, but will nevertheless be relied upon to help the club stay in the top half of the standings.
POSSIBLE STARTING XI’s
Milan (4-3-1-2): Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Brocchi, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Kakà; Gilardino, Pato
Napoli (4-4-2): Iezzo; Cupi, Cannavaro, Domizzi, Garics; Gargano, Hamsik, Bogliacino, Savini; Lavezzi, Calaiò
PREDICTION
The ‘San Siro’ will be rocking, with the Milan supporters expecting to see great things from their side in this match. Napoli have a good record against the top clubs this season, but don’t expect this trend to continue, as Milan will now attempt to start making up ground in the battle for a top four spot.
Will Alexandre Pato get the two goals he has predicted? Well, that is a bit much to expect, but seeing as he scored a hat-trick on his debut with previous club Internacional, he could very well be up to the task. Either way, the atmosphere for this match will be positively electric, and this should be a thrilling encounter.
Milan 1-0 Napoli
Next in Line?
After having to wait until January (he was initially purchased by Milan last summer) to officially become a member of the Milan squad, due to regulations regarding the minimum age of foreign players, young Brazilian Alexandre Pato will finally be able to don the famous red-and-black jersey of AC Milan.
With not much going on in the transfer market this month, the main topic of late has been the long-awaited debut of this player, one who has been compared to many other great Brazilian forwards, particularly current Milan striker Ronaldo. His performances in the FIFA Club World Cup last winter alerted the world of his talent. Because of Milan’s strong ties to the country most famous for Samba and football, the Rossoneri were able to snatch up the latest and greatest player from Brazil.
The comparisons which have been placed on him have seen names such as the aforementioned Ronaldo and Marco Van Basten (the legendary Dutch forward who came to prominence with Milan) mentioned. Not only that, but he will be taking over possession of the number seven shirt for Milan, one which previously belonged to the second-leading scorer in club history, Andriy Shevchenko.
While much of the news about Pato has been what people supposedly in the know think he will do, but the most recent reports have circled around the comments he himself made, predicting that he would score twice in his first match.
If his words can be materialized, then he will be an instant hit in Milan. The club have struggled to score all season long, especially the strikers. Most of the goals have come from the midfield department, but this reliance on the players in the center of the park has become a real hindrance, as opposing defenses have started to learn how to prevent the midfield from advancing into scoring position.
High Flyers
Napoli, who put out one of the greatest teams in all of Europe during the 1980’s, fell on hard times recently, and have returned to the Italian top-flight only this season, having been out of Serie A for seven years.
However, despite only coming up to Serie A this term, they are playing well, and have put in good enough performances to position themselves in seventh place, which is five spots ahead of Milan at the moment.
This seemingly lofty positioning has been attained by putting in quality performances, not only against sides they are around the same level as, but also against the top clubs in Italy. A narrow 2-1 loss away to Serie A leaders Inter Milan in early October was then followed by two very surprising results. The first, away to Roma, was a thrilling 4-4 draw in which both sides traded punches. Napoli got in the final blow by leveling the score with only a handful of minutes left, through Marcelo Zalayeta in the 84th minute.
Then came one of the most shocking results of the season, which was a 3-1 home victory against Juventus. The visitors took the lead almost immediately after play resumed following halftime through Alessandro Del Piero, but the Partenopei tied the score at one apiece with a strike from Walter Gargano.
The final score line was achieved with two penalties from Maurizio Domizzi in the space of eight minutes.
Napoli will be up against the wall in this match, however, as Milan must start making up for the lost points from the first part of the season, as they lay eleven points adrift of fourth place, which is the final Champions League spot, and their main target for the rest of the season.
FORM GUIDE (last five fixtures)
Milan
12/4 Milan 1-0 Celtic UEFA Champions League
12/13 Urawa 0-1 Milan World Club Cup
12/16 Milan 4-2 Boca Juniors World Club Cup
12/20 Milan 1-2 Catania Coppa Italia
12/23 Inter 2-1 Milan Serie A
Napoli
12/2 Atalanta 5-1 Napoli Serie A
12/9 Napoli 1-0 Parma Serie A
12/16 Siena 1-1 Napoli Serie A
12/19 Lazio 2-1 Napoli Coppa Italia
12/23 Napoli 1-1 Torino Serie A
TEAM NEWS
Milan are without Filippo Inzaghi, who is recovering from both kidney stones and a foot injury. Clarence Seedorf is not totally fit, and will probably sit this one out, while Gennaro Gattuso is suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Napoli will be missing attacking option Marcelo Zalayeta, as well as Manuele Blasi, both through suspension. This means Ezequiel Lavezzi will take up the responsibility in attack.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Alexandre Pato (Milan) – Who else? His debut has been a hot topic of conversation for some time now, and the anticipation of the crowd has been furthered by the player’s claim that he will score a brace.
Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli) – Some Napoli supporters, with memories of the club’s glory days back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s on their minds, have compared this young Argentine to a certain Diego Maradona. He was quick to disspell such a comparison, but will nevertheless be relied upon to help the club stay in the top half of the standings.
POSSIBLE STARTING XI’s
Milan (4-3-1-2): Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Brocchi, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Kakà; Gilardino, Pato
Napoli (4-4-2): Iezzo; Cupi, Cannavaro, Domizzi, Garics; Gargano, Hamsik, Bogliacino, Savini; Lavezzi, Calaiò
PREDICTION
The ‘San Siro’ will be rocking, with the Milan supporters expecting to see great things from their side in this match. Napoli have a good record against the top clubs this season, but don’t expect this trend to continue, as Milan will now attempt to start making up ground in the battle for a top four spot.
Will Alexandre Pato get the two goals he has predicted? Well, that is a bit much to expect, but seeing as he scored a hat-trick on his debut with previous club Internacional, he could very well be up to the task. Either way, the atmosphere for this match will be positively electric, and this should be a thrilling encounter.
Milan 1-0 Napoli
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