GOAL.COM:
Milan have made hard work of Champions’ League Group E and face potential elimination when meeting Schalke 04 at the San Siro on Tuesday night. Brian O’Driscoll looks ahead to the game.
BACKGROUND
With their Serie A challenge foundering and the European Cup lost in the most undignified manner possible, we are now entering the final days of Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti. What other conclusion can be drawn from Saturday’s embarrassing capitulation at Chievo and the unprecedented Istanbul collapse of last May?
For all that, Ancelotti is defiant. "In the past three years in Europe, nobody has played as well as us and we intend to take that experience with us into the game," he said prior to the visit of Schalke in a do-or-die Group E encounter.
A draw will take the Italians through (unless it is ridiculously high-scoring), but the Germans need to win. "Their attacking style is similar to ours as they play with two strikers, but they will have the added pressure of having to play away from home," said Ancelotti, whose team have won all seven home league matches this season.
"We absolutely have to rediscover our energy and take on Tuesday’s match with great concentration and the desire to bounce back," he added, aware that the pressure is well and truly on. "Sometimes defeats can help you refind yourself." Defeat on Tuesday will surely see Ancelotti finding himself unemployed sometime soon.
A lack of character is the central fundamental weakness in this Milan side. All great teams have skill, technical ability, and character. Milan lack the latter while possessing the former in abundance. That deficiency was proven not just in Istanbul, but two years ago when a 4-1 first-leg lead was revealingly lost in Galicia against Deportivo La Coruna. "It is not just the defence, the midfield need to cover more," said Ancelotti, "We need to improve in terms of our character."
The thing is, you either have character or you do not. You can build it when you’re young, but this side is no work-in-progress. It’s great to look at, it moves well, but it’s capable of collapse at any time.
That’s not to suggest that Schalke are likely to be the catalyst to that. The Gelsenkirchen club have picked up recently with successive Bundesliga wins and have little to lose by attacking their illustrious hosts. However, unless they can take inspiration from the scene of their 1997 UEFA Cup final victory, their honourable demise is almost predictable.
Rarely have Ralf Rangnick’s side delivered when the chips have truly been down. A Bundesliga crown was tossed aside last year, and a German Cup joined it in the might-have-been column shortly afterwards. If Milan can take comfort from one thing, it’s the fact that Schalke are almost as flawed as they are in the trouser department.
TEAM NEWS
"We are going to play to win because we can’t count on the result in Eindhoven," said Rangnick, hoping stopper Marcelo Bordon can recover from a thigh complaint in time for the game. "I’m looking forward to it," said Schalke general manager Rudi Assauer on Monday. "We had our greatest success there and I hope we can achieve something again," he said in reference to the win over Inter in 1997.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Milan: Dida; Simic, Stam, Nesta, Kaladze; Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf; Kaka; Shevchenko, F. Inzaghi.
Schalke: F. Rost; Rafinha, Bordon, Rodriguez, Krstajic; Poulsen, F. Ernst; Lincoln; Hamit Altintop, Kuranyi, Kobiashvili.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Paolo Maldini (Milan)
The greatest defender of his generation, could this be Maldini’s final match at the highest continental level? Even the great man knows this Milan is not a patch on the real deal of Baresi, Gullit, Rijkaard, and van Basten. "I preferred it when we used to qualify for the next round after four games. That said, we will go out and give our all because we can win our group," he said before the game. Time may have caught up with him, but his mark has already been made.
Lincoln (Schalke)
If Schalke are to get the 3-3 draw or victory that will see them through, Brazilian playmaker Lincoln must be front and centre. Superb in Turkey during the remarkable 3-3 draw with Fenerbahce, a repeat performance is needed if the ammunition is to be provided for Kevin Kuranyi and co.
PREDICTION
Anything is possible when Milan dance with danger. However, their worst moments come when they believe none exists and complacency takes over. This is harldy the case here so the Italians should do enough to ease through to the second phase. 2-0.
Dont know if this match is being shown tomorrow, but it won't matter, I have an exam tomorrow night and wont have time to watch it
funny, the player to watch for Milan might not even play either
do or die, but I think we can pull through... I'll be wearing my Sheva jersey tomorrow, hoping in the back of my mind that he's scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 Milan win 
Milan have made hard work of Champions’ League Group E and face potential elimination when meeting Schalke 04 at the San Siro on Tuesday night. Brian O’Driscoll looks ahead to the game.
BACKGROUND
With their Serie A challenge foundering and the European Cup lost in the most undignified manner possible, we are now entering the final days of Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti. What other conclusion can be drawn from Saturday’s embarrassing capitulation at Chievo and the unprecedented Istanbul collapse of last May?
For all that, Ancelotti is defiant. "In the past three years in Europe, nobody has played as well as us and we intend to take that experience with us into the game," he said prior to the visit of Schalke in a do-or-die Group E encounter.
A draw will take the Italians through (unless it is ridiculously high-scoring), but the Germans need to win. "Their attacking style is similar to ours as they play with two strikers, but they will have the added pressure of having to play away from home," said Ancelotti, whose team have won all seven home league matches this season.
"We absolutely have to rediscover our energy and take on Tuesday’s match with great concentration and the desire to bounce back," he added, aware that the pressure is well and truly on. "Sometimes defeats can help you refind yourself." Defeat on Tuesday will surely see Ancelotti finding himself unemployed sometime soon.
A lack of character is the central fundamental weakness in this Milan side. All great teams have skill, technical ability, and character. Milan lack the latter while possessing the former in abundance. That deficiency was proven not just in Istanbul, but two years ago when a 4-1 first-leg lead was revealingly lost in Galicia against Deportivo La Coruna. "It is not just the defence, the midfield need to cover more," said Ancelotti, "We need to improve in terms of our character."
The thing is, you either have character or you do not. You can build it when you’re young, but this side is no work-in-progress. It’s great to look at, it moves well, but it’s capable of collapse at any time.
That’s not to suggest that Schalke are likely to be the catalyst to that. The Gelsenkirchen club have picked up recently with successive Bundesliga wins and have little to lose by attacking their illustrious hosts. However, unless they can take inspiration from the scene of their 1997 UEFA Cup final victory, their honourable demise is almost predictable.
Rarely have Ralf Rangnick’s side delivered when the chips have truly been down. A Bundesliga crown was tossed aside last year, and a German Cup joined it in the might-have-been column shortly afterwards. If Milan can take comfort from one thing, it’s the fact that Schalke are almost as flawed as they are in the trouser department.
TEAM NEWS
"We are going to play to win because we can’t count on the result in Eindhoven," said Rangnick, hoping stopper Marcelo Bordon can recover from a thigh complaint in time for the game. "I’m looking forward to it," said Schalke general manager Rudi Assauer on Monday. "We had our greatest success there and I hope we can achieve something again," he said in reference to the win over Inter in 1997.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Milan: Dida; Simic, Stam, Nesta, Kaladze; Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf; Kaka; Shevchenko, F. Inzaghi.
Schalke: F. Rost; Rafinha, Bordon, Rodriguez, Krstajic; Poulsen, F. Ernst; Lincoln; Hamit Altintop, Kuranyi, Kobiashvili.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Paolo Maldini (Milan)
The greatest defender of his generation, could this be Maldini’s final match at the highest continental level? Even the great man knows this Milan is not a patch on the real deal of Baresi, Gullit, Rijkaard, and van Basten. "I preferred it when we used to qualify for the next round after four games. That said, we will go out and give our all because we can win our group," he said before the game. Time may have caught up with him, but his mark has already been made.
Lincoln (Schalke)
If Schalke are to get the 3-3 draw or victory that will see them through, Brazilian playmaker Lincoln must be front and centre. Superb in Turkey during the remarkable 3-3 draw with Fenerbahce, a repeat performance is needed if the ammunition is to be provided for Kevin Kuranyi and co.
PREDICTION
Anything is possible when Milan dance with danger. However, their worst moments come when they believe none exists and complacency takes over. This is harldy the case here so the Italians should do enough to ease through to the second phase. 2-0.
Dont know if this match is being shown tomorrow, but it won't matter, I have an exam tomorrow night and wont have time to watch it
funny, the player to watch for Milan might not even play either
do or die, but I think we can pull through... I'll be wearing my Sheva jersey tomorrow, hoping in the back of my mind that he's scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 Milan win 
