A.S. BARI
v
A.C. MILAN
Stadio San Nicola, Bari,Italy
07.11.2010, 19:30 IST
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The Rossoneri are all set to play the Galletti in Bari, to get their Scudetto campaign back on track. After being humiliated by Juventus in the league, the Diavolo gave away two points to the more deserving Madrid at the San Siro in their midweek Champions League clash. The players are yet to come out of the shocking last gasp equalizer by Pedro Leon, after super Pippo had scored a brace in a space of ten mins to give Milan the lead.
Apart from the result, the aftermath of that game has severely affected the team’s chemistry. Ibrahimovic evidently spoke openly about his affiliation with Pippo and how he prefers the veteran over the Brazilian trio; not the perfect time to smash the team morale, but that’s Ibracadabra for you. Talking about timing and being politically correct, Rino was the next man to let go of his emotions when he questioned some of the players’ commitment towards the team. Ibra was again in the news after his fight with Oguchi Onweyu at the training ground, which forced Max to call off the training. As a result of these altercations, Allegri was left with the job of portraying everything as “misunderstandings” in the official press conference – not the ideal preparation for a must win clash, considering that Allegri has bigger decisions to make as far as the team formation is concerned. The big question is whether he goes with the known failure of the 4-3-3 or experiments with 4-4-2.
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Bari is fighting against relegation at the bottom of the table, but the Diavolo cannot make the mistake of taking them lightly. Everyone knows what Cesena did to Milan in the beginning of their campaign, and this would be the worst time to surrender three points. Giampiero Ventura’s men have not managed a single point in their last four games, but are highly motivated as they are fresher than Milan, and with the fixture being a home game, they would try to do their best to sink Milan’s ship.
Team News and Tactical Brief
AC Milan:
Thiago Silva picked up a niggle against Madrid and will sit out of this game. The severity of his injury is yet to be disclosed. It would be hard for Allegri to start with Sokratis, considering his mediocre performance against Juventus, so he has called on Mario Yepes to start alongside Nesta in central defence. The biggest problem that Allegri faces is the unavailability of Prince Boateng, who is suspended because of his five yellow cards. The best man available to fill his shoes is Flamini, but Allegri has not shown much confidence in him till now and in all probability will start with either Seedorf or Ambrosini. Allegri will be tempted to start with Pippo after his performance against Real, but if he drops Pato, especially after Ibra’s comments, that will not do a world of good to the Duck’s morale. In all probability, Pato should start with Ibra, but it would be hard to keep the 37 year old veteran out of the game if Milan doesn’t secure the victory in 60 mins. Robinho will start behind the two strikers and Ronaldinho is expected to warm the bench.
Probable Formation: 4-3-1-2
- Bari(4-4-2) vs AC Milan(4-3-1-2)
Bari:
Bari has only scored thrice in the Serie A, and to make matters worse, they are without a number of key players due to various injuries. The hit list consists of Jaime Romero, Andrea Raggi, Abdelkader Ghezzal, Salvatore Masiello and José Ignacio Castillo. Ventura has often criticized his side for being too slow off the block, and will be looking forward to avail the services of Vitali Kutuzov. The Belarus National Team regular has been unnoticeable so far in the season, and would look to penetrate into Milan’s vulnerable back line this time around.
Probable Formation: 4-4-2
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TheHardTackle’s PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR:
Filippo Inzaghi( AC Milan)
He shocked Madrid three days ago, scoring two goals for Milan against a solid defence when the likes of Ibra-Pato-R80 could not get going. At 37 years of age, he showed the grit and determination to fight for a win in true Milan style. Needless to stay, Super Pippo is the man to watch out for, and Bari’s defense will find it hard to trap him offside.
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TheHardTackle’s PREDICTION:
A.S Bari 0-2 A.C Milan
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TheHardTackle’s BLAST FROM THE PAST:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW9V1UoSgAc
