Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham. Since 2008 AC Milan is facing an English team in the second round of Uefa Champions League, but in all of these cases they have never managed to pass to the quarter finals of the most important European torunament for clubs.

Even this year beat Arsen Wenger's team won't be easy as Gunners are not the team they used to be at the beginning of the season, when, for example, they lost 8-2 at Old Trafford against Manchester United, in one of the most embarassing matches of the Wenger's era.

Health scares, multi-million pound on-off deals and the toppling of a prime minister. It has the makings of a political thriller that any dramatist would be proud off. Instead, it has been the script of Massimiliano Allegri's awkward second season in charge of Milan. It is easy to forget just how rocky the waters have been in the background to his attempts to build on the foundations of a debut.

Inter's slender 1-0 victory over their city rivals Milan last night threw them back in the title race. A 65th minute goal from Diego Milito was enough to hand Claudio Ranieri's men win the 204th edition of the Derby Della Madonnina.

Juventus who were level on points with Milan before last night's round of fixtures also failed to make most of their match against Cagliari as they were held to a 1 all draw at the Juventus stadium.

AC Milan midfielder Alberto Aquilani has insisted that he holds no ill feeling towards Juventus despite not being offered a permanent deal at the Turin club after a season-long spell with the side last season.
The Italy international could have joined Antonio Conte's side at the end of his temporary stay, yet the club did not take up the option to sign him on a permanent deal, resulting in the former Roma man signing for Massimiliano Allegri's men for the 2011-12 campaign.

AC Milan midfielder Alberto Aquilani has insisted that he holds no ill feeling towards Juventus despite not being offered a permanent deal at the Turin club after a season-long spell with the side last season.
The Italy international could have joined Antonio Conte's side at the end of his temporary stay, yet the club did not take up the option to sign him on a permanent deal, resulting in the former Roma man signing for Massimiliano Allegri's men for the 2011-12 campaign.

Antonio Nocerino and Zlatan Ibrahimović were on target as AC Milan went top of Serie A by beating Siena 2-0 at San Siro.

Nocerino drove the Rossoneri in front with a low shot through a crowded penalty area nine minutes into the second half. Ibrahimović confirmed victory with a powerfully-struck penalty, awarded after goalkeeper Željko Brkić brought down Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Milan once again failed to win in the Champions League after conceding two late goals to Viktoria Plzen as the game ended 2-2 leaving coach Max Allegri understandably angered by his team's display. "There is anger rather than bitterness [at the result]," Allegri told Sky Italia. "We had opportunities to grab a third goal, but [.

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri is confident that he will get a new contract extension with the club as his current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2012. According To Allegri, the club is set to offer him a two year extension that will see him stay with the Rossonerri for two more years.

Xavi and Messi celebrate win against AC Milan (Photo: AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Barcelona secured top spot in Champions League Group H with a thrilling 2-3 victory over AC Milan in the San Siro.

A myriad of talking points dominated pre-game coverage, but only one threatened to mar the match itself: Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

AC Milan midfielder Alberto Aquilani has revealed that the Serie A champions will be obligated to sign him on a permanent basis from Liverpool for £5.2 million if he features in 25 matches this term.
The 27-year-old is currently on a season-long loan deal with the Rossoneri after it became apparent that first team opportunities at Anfield were not forthcoming.

Alberto Aquilani will stay at AC Milan beyond 2012 as the loan deal from Liverpool will be made permanent, his agent Franco Zavaglia has said.
The 27-year-old Italy international joined the San Siro-based outfit in the summer from the Premier League side.
Aquilani's deal consists of a loan, but Milan will have an option to buy his full rights from Liverpool if he features in 25 or more games for them this season.

Liverpool have fallen behind AC Milan in the race to sign highly-rated Sao Paulo midfielder Lucas.
The Serie A side's technical director Marco Branco has reportedly met with the 19-year-old's agent, Juan Figer, to discuss a move to the San Siro, taking the Italian club to the head of the queue for the prospect's signature.

UEFA Champions League Recap: BATE Borisov 1-1 AC Milan On Tuesday night Milan secured qualification to the next phase of the Champions League after their 1-1 away draw against BATE Borisov. Despite seeing his team qualify with two games remaining, Max Allegri was clearly not content with how things unfolded in Minsk.

Max Allegri must have been a worried man. Heading into the half-break his chargers were down 3-0 and playing diabolical football. Milan's title ambitions were looking, again, lost at sea much like their play. Given how vital it is for the team to rack up a series of wins to keep their season's hopes alive, [.

Easily one of the most underrated aspects of football is the prematch press conference photography. Before the Champions League? It's magic. Dozens of photogs clamoring for the best facial expressions, angles and moments of maniacal madness.

Andres Villas Boas appears as though he's running through the cycle of emotions posed by an acting class teacher, while Massimiliano Allegri is looking to explode someone's brain with his own.

Champions AC Milan are back to their brilliant best after an utterly dominant 3-0 victory against Palermo. Massimiliano Allegri stated prior to the match that Milan had to "get three points" above all else, but what he got was far more important. Accomplished performances from the midfield new boys Nocerino and Alberto Aquilani, a stunning comeback from Brazilian Robinho, doubts over Antonio.

The year is 2018, Italy is a nation in chaos, shaken to it's foundations by the leaking of documents proving that for the past twelve years Leonardo Araujo has been single-handedly running the FIGC. The national team, under the stewardship of the controversial yet well-liked coach Massimiliano Allegri, has embarked in a state of disorder to Russia, as a result of their dramatic securation of qualification for the World Cup on a windy december night in Zagreb, courtesy of a late goal scored by Azzurri icon Alberto Paloschi.

It was a great celebration that was long overdue for the red half of the San Siro. With Kevin-Prince Boateng doing his best impression of the late Michael Jackson, Milanisti cheered wildly as their beloved team was presented with its 18th Scudetto, and first since 2003-2004. Fast-forward only a month into the new campaign, and Milan find themselves in unfamiliar territory.

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri is confident that AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be leaving the Serie A champions any time soon. This news comes after the Swede openly hinted at an early retirement from the game.

Ibrahimovic who was largely responsible for Milan's Serie A triumph last season, openly stated in an interview last week that he was getting old and that football had become more of a routine job for him.

Serie A champions Milan continued their dismal form in league play after falling 2-0 to rivals Juventus. Milan's coach Massimiliano Allegri did not offer excuses when he referred to the defeat in Turin as the worst performance of the season by his players. As for Juve, this was by far the club's most significant win of the season and Antonio Conte's biggest triumph as a coach.

Liverpool look likely to have to accelerate their interest in Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen if they wish to ensure the Danish youngster ends up at Anfield.
The Reds are known to be tracking the 19-year-old and have repeatedly been linked with a bid for his services, although Ajax has remained adamant that Eriksen will not leave the Amsterdam ArenA.

Juventus have to demonstrate to the footballing world they mean business this season which means nothing less then all three points today. The team is well rested and well prepared, with no mid-week game. Prediction: advantage Juventus, but they were too poor against Catania and allowed Bologna to step into their house and take a point in the last home outing.

On Sunday Juventus host Milan in the first big competitive match at their shiny new stadium. In lieu of writing a traditional preview, I've decided to take a look at some points to watch out for during the course of the match. 1) Which lineup will Antonio Conte deploy? During the first three games, Conte used his favored attacking 4-4-2 against teams that played similar formations in Parma,.

Guest Writer Anthony Lopopolo AC Milan will attempt to re-establish a winning record at home in the Champions League as it hosts newcomer Viktoria Plzen at the San Siro on Wednesday. A litany of injuries has limited the first-team choices of coach Massimiliano Allegri as of late, with as many as 10 potential starters on the treatment table.

After five games of SerieB there's a predictable feel to the top of the table with Padova, last years' losing play-off finalists undefeated along with two of the relegated sides Brescia and Sampdoria. Torino , under the stewardship of old hat Giampiero Ventura look likely to feature as do Reggina. Only three points separate the top nine places with Zdenek Zeman's unpredictable Pescara bringing up.

Serie A Weekly welcomes back writer Andrew Murray who will be covering Team of the Week and as well as other topics... Napoli shot to the top of Serie A on Sunday night as a classic counter-attacking performance and an Edinson Cavani secured a 3-1 victory over champions AC Milan. The Partenopei showed few signs of a European hangover after Wednesday's Champions League tie, and it was.

PLAYERS AC Milan's Thiago Silva, left, reacts after scoring with his teammate Pato against FC Barcelona during a Champions league soccer match at the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) MANAGERS AC Milan's coach Massimiliamo Allegri, right, looks on near to FC Barcelona's coach Pep Guardiola during a Champions league soccer.

Two of European football's giants face off tonight at the Camp Nou as Milan battle Barcelona in Group H of the Champions League. The Spanish side will be hoping to put one of the competitions most successful sides to the sword as the Rossoneri are only second in European Cup wins with seven, only two behind Los Cules' rivals Real Madrid.

Alberto Aquilani backed to be a hit at AC Milan

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri believes new arrival Alberto Aquilani can make a big impression at the San Siro. Aquilani joined the Italians on loan from Liverpool.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-08-27 10:11:57 from: The Mail

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Milan chief backs Liverpool flop Aquilani to be a big hit at the San Siro

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri believes new arrival Alberto Aquilani can make a big impression at the San Siro. Aquilani joined the Italians on loan from Liverpool.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-08-27 09:32:27 from: The Mail

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AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi admits the Rossoneri are "discussing the possibility" of a move for Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani.
The Italy international spent last season on loan at Juventus before returning to Anfield earlier this summer.
Milan is looking to bolster their midfield line after failing to lure Fiorentina's Riccardo Montolivo to the San Siro.

Alberto Aquilani's chances of ending up at AC Milan before the transfer window shuts have been given a boost by Fiorentina.
The Rossoneri have been targeting Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo, but have been informed that La Viola is very unlikely to sell the 26-year-old to another Italian club.

Alberto Aquilani's chances of ending up at AC Milan before the transfer window shuts have been given a boost by Fiorentina.
The Rossoneri have been targeting Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo, but have been informed that La Viola is very unlikely to sell the 26-year-old to another Italian club.

Peter Crouch is always an instantly recognisable figure on the pitch, but he was conspicuous by his absence in last night's win up at Tynecastle.

Last season, Harry often went for Crouch and VDV as his preferred partnership, but the Dutchman linked up well with Defoe last night, as the two shared the opening goals in the 5-0 win.

Pre-season games often be no more than glorified fitness sessions, and with due respect, the ‘Supercoppa de Italia' could be that type of encounter, struggling to elevate itself beyond ‘kick about level' certainly for players accustomed to scudetti and Champions League endeavours. But while the cachet of a Supercoppa triumph is debatable, an early opportunity for Milan to lay down a.

AC Milan celebrate their sixth Super Cup title

The weekend played host to two of the world's most intense local derbies as the teams involved fought for the honours in their respective national Super Cup tournaments. Whereas the Italian Super Cup saw two clubs who are virtually equal in all respects face up to each other in the shape of league champions AC Milan and cup winners Internazionale, the same couldn't be said in its English equivalent which saw record champions Manchester United meet up once again with local foes Manchester City with the latter finally demanding more respect from their more illustrious neighbours having won the FA Cup last season.

Cliché's are, well, clichéd, and even that might be a cliché. They stand as the writing equivalent of using training wheels, working well enough to "fall back on" and "get the job done" but preventing any sort of creativity from shining through along the way. Football is full of such terms, and the 24th Supercoppa Italiana helped to reinforce some of the most popular ones.

Cliché's are, well, clichéd, and even that might be a cliché. They stand as the writing equivalent of using training wheels, working well enough to "fall back on" and "get the job done" but preventing any sort of creativity from shining through along the way. Football is full of such terms, and the 24th Supercoppa Italiana helped to reinforce some of the most popular ones.

Team and handlers have traveled 8,000 kilometers to face ancient rival Internazionale in this weekend's Italian Super Cup. AC Milan will be aiming to break the deadlock on wins. Both clubs have previously won the annual pre-season competition five times.
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AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri sees Liverpool's Alberto Aquilani as 'second choice' to Riccardo Montolivio

Italian champions have identified the Fiorentina man as their priority, with the Merseyside midfield misfit pushed to the bottom of a list of targets by CEO Adriano Galliani

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-08-02 17:36:00 from: Goal

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