AC Milan will look to bring an end to the impressive away run that FK Viktoria Plzeň have produced so far in this season's UEFA Champions League when they welcome the tournament newcomers to San Siro on matchday two.
Plzeň won three successive away games en route to the group stage but face their biggest test yet at San Siro, where Massimiliano Allegri's hosts will be keen to reassert their home supremacy.
The Italian champions opened with a 2-2 draw at holders FC Barcelona, Pato and Thiago Silva scoring at either end of the match, while Plzeň drew 1-1 at home to FC BATE Borisov.
Milan must improve on their home form in their past two UEFA Champions League campaigns if they are to be credible challengers for the title.
In 2009/10 the Rossoneri recorded two draws and two losses while last term they managed a win and a draw before falling to successive defeats against AFC Ajax in the group stage and Tottenham Hotspur FC in the last 16.
If they were to lose to Plzeň it would be the first time the seven-time winners had suffered three successive home defeats in UEFA competition.
This is Plzeň's first visit to Italy but Pavel Vrba's men have recorded excellent results on the road in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, where they won at FC Pyunik (4-0), Rosenborg BK (1-0) and FC København (3-1). This sequence is all the more impressive given their inexperience on the continental stage; Plzeň had only played two European away games before this season, losing both and conceding nine goals.
Milan have won all four previous home games against Czech opposition, most recently a 4-1 success against AC Sparta Praha in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League round of 16. Gennaro Gattuso was among the goalscorers that evening.
Gennaro Gattuso is serving the second of a four-game ban; Philippe Mexès is available after his suspension on matchday one.
Injury news
AC Milan:
Filippo Inzaghi, not included in Milan's UEFA Champions League squad, made his first appearance of the campaign as a late substitute against Udinese.
Robinho remains sidelined with a toe injury sustained in pre-season.
Pato (right thigh, out since 21 September), Massimo Ambrosini (shoulder, 13 September) and Kevin-Prince Boateng (hip, 13 September) have all been sidelined; Zlatan Ibrahimović has not featured since injuring his thigh in training before matchday one.
Mathieu Flamini will miss the group stage after undergoing knee surgery at the end of August. The France midfielder damaged his cruciate ligament in a 2-1 pre-season friendly victory against Juventus on 21 August. Taiwo suffered an ankle injury in the same match but returned to the fold against Cesena.
Viktoria Plzeň:
Goalkeeper Roman Pavlík will be out until the end of September after injuring his knee at Rosenborg BK on 27 July; Plzeň signed Marek Čech, 35, as cover.
Squad list
AC Milan
No. Player Nat. DoB Age D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls
Goalkeepers
1 Marco Amelia ITA 02/04/82 29 - - - - - - - 3 - 17 1
30 Flavio Roma ITA 21/06/74 37 - - - - - - - 20 - 24 -
32 Christian Abbiati ITA 08/07/77 34 - - - 1 - 4 - 32 - 55 -
Defenders
2 Taye Taiwo NGA 16/04/85 26 - - - - - 1 - 21 1 56 5
5 Philippe Mexès FRA 30/03/82 29 - - - - - - - 36 1 68 1
13 Alessandro Nesta ITA 19/03/76 35 - - - 1 - 3 - 93 - 119 1
19 Gianluca Zambrotta ITA 19/02/77 34 - - - 1 - 2 - 69 - 89 2
20 Ignazio Abate ITA 12/11/86 24 - - - 1 - 4 - 13 - 15 -
25 Daniele Bonera ITA 31/05/81 30 - - - - - 1 - 17 - 44 -
33 Thiago Silva BRA 22/09/84 27 - - - 1 1 4 - 14 1 14 1
52 Mattia De Sciglio ITA 20/10/92 18 - - - - - - - - - - -
76 Mario Yepes COL 13/01/76 35 - - - - - 1 - 8 - 13 1
77 Luca Antonini ITA 04/08/82 29 - - - - - 2 - 8 - 16 1
Midfielders
4 Mark van Bommel NED 22/04/77 34 - - - 1 - 4 - 71 6 107 12
8 Gennaro Gattuso ITA 09/01/78 33 S - - - - 1 - 79 1 109 4
10 Clarence Seedorf NED 01/04/76 35 - - - 1 - 3 1 118 11 156 15
18 Alberto Aquilani ITA 07/07/84 27 - - - 1 - 4 1 22 - 35 2
22 Antonio Nocerino ITA 09/04/85 26 - - - 1 - 4 - 1 - 9 -
23 Massimo Ambrosini ITA 29/05/77 34 - - - 1 - 1 - 73 2 99 3
27 Kevin-Prince Boateng GHA 06/03/87 24 - - - 1 - 1 - 8 - 18 1
28 Urby Emanuelson NED 16/06/86 25 - - - 1 - 3 - 13 - 49 1
Forwards
7 Pato BRA 02/09/89 22 - - - 1 1 3 - 15 3 21 6
11 Zlatan Ibrahimović SWE 03/10/81 29 - - - - - 1 1 78 23 87 26
70 Robinho BRA 25/01/84 27 - - - - - - - 28 5 38 6
99 Antonio Cassano ITA 12/07/82 29 - - - 1 - 4 1 25 5 45 13
Coach- Massimiliano Allegri ITA 11/08/67 44 - - - 1 - - - 9 - 9 -
FC Viktoria Plzeň
No. Player Nat. DoB Age D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls
Goalkeepers
24 Marek Čech CZE 08/04/76 35 - 2 - 1 - 6 - 1 - 19 -
25 Michal Daněk CZE 06/07/83 28 - 2 - - - 2 - - - 5 -
30 Martin Ticháček CZE 15/09/81 30 - - - - - - - - - - -
33 Roman Pavlík CZE 17/01/76 35 - 3 - - - - - - - 3 -
Defenders
3 Miloš Brezinský SVK 02/04/84 27 - - - - - 1 - - - 15 2
8 David Limberský CZE 06/10/83 27 - 5 - 1 - 7 - 1 - 14 1
14 Radim Řezník CZE 20/01/89 22 - - - - - 1 - - - 6 1
15 František Ševinský CZE 31/03/79 32 - 4 - - - 5 - - - 14 -
18 David Bystroň CZE 18/11/82 28 - 6 - 1 - 7 1 1 - 19 1
28 Marián Čišovský SVK 02/11/79 31 - 6 - 1 - 5 - 1 - 48 7
Midfielders
6 Václav Pilař CZE 13/10/88 22 - 6 3 1 - 7 3 1 - 7 3
7 Petr Trapp CZE 06/12/85 25 - 3 - 1 - 5 - 1 - 7 -
9 Martin Fillo CZE 07/02/86 25 - 4 1 - - 5 - - - 8 1
10 Pavel Horváth CZE 22/04/75 36 - 6 1 1 - 7 1 5 - 54 6
11 Milan Petržela CZE 19/06/83 28 - 6 1 1 - 7 - 1 - 11 1
16 Vladimir Darida CZE 08/08/90 21 - 1 - - - 4 - - - 1 -
20 Petr Jiráček CZE 02/03/86 25 - 5 - 1 - 8 2 1 - 8 -
22 Martin Sladký CZE 01/03/92 19 - - - - - - - - - - -
26 Daniel Kolář CZE 27/10/85 25 - 6 4 1 - 8 2 1 - 21 5
27 František Rajtoral CZE 12/03/86 25 - 6 - 1 - 7 1 1 - 11 -
Forwards
5 Michal Ďuriš SVK 01/06/88 23 - 6 1 1 - 8 4 1 - 9 2
12 Michael Krmenčik CZE 15/03/93 18 - - - - - - - - - - -
17 Jakub Hora CZE 23/02/91 20 - 2 - 1 - 5 - 1 - 3 -
23 Marek Bakoš SVK 15/04/83 28 - 5 6 1 1 7 2 1 1 7 7
Coach- Pavel Vrba CZE 06/12/63 47 - 6 - 1 - - - 1 - 19 -
Match officials
Referee Florian Meyer (GER)
Assistant referees Holger Henschel (GER), Christoph Bornhorst (GER)
Additional assistant referees Tobias Welz (GER), Markus Wingenbach (GER)
Fourth official Felix Zwayer (GER)
UEFA Delegate Benny Jacobsen (DEN)
UEFA Referee observer William Young (SCO)
Uefa Champions League facts:
No team has successfully defended the UEFA Champions League trophy with AC Milan (1989, 1990) the last club to win consecutive European Cups. Milan (1994, 1995), AFC Ajax (1995, 1996), Juventus (1996, 1997) and Manchester United (2008, 2009) have all returned to the UEFA Champions League final as holders only to lose.
Source: Uefa.com
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Assistant referees Holger Henschel (GER), Christoph Bornhorst (GER)
Additional assistant referees Tobias Welz (GER), Markus Wingenbach (GER)
Fourth official Felix Zwayer (GER)
UEFA Delegate Benny Jacobsen (DEN)
UEFA Referee observer William Young (SCO)
Uefa Champions League facts:
No team has successfully defended the UEFA Champions League trophy with AC Milan (1989, 1990) the last club to win consecutive European Cups. Milan (1994, 1995), AFC Ajax (1995, 1996), Juventus (1996, 1997) and Manchester United (2008, 2009) have all returned to the UEFA Champions League final as holders only to lose.
Source: Uefa.com
You are welcomed to share your opinion about the article! To do it use the real time comments form belove
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