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| Monday, September 23, 2002 20:42 EST |
Deportivo to offer tough test for high-flying Milan
[Reuters]
MILAN -- AC Milan defender Alessandro
Nesta, one of the new arrivals who have raised expectations of
success at the Italian club, believes Tuesday's Champions League
clash with Deportivo Coruna is the moment of truth for Carlo
Ancelotti's side.
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Irureta rues loss of Valeron
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LA CORUNA -- Deportivo Coruna coach Javier
Irureta bemoaned the loss of influential playmaker Juan Carlos
Valeron before Tuesday's Champions League clash against AC Milan
at the Riazor.
"It is a serious setback for both football and for
Deportivo," Irureta told reporters at a prematch news
conference on Monday.
"He was in the best form since his arrival at the club just
over two years ago and it is a real shame that he won't be able
to play for us for at least two months."
The Spanish international fractured his fibula after a
reckless challenge from Bolivian defender Juan Manuel Pena
during his side's 2-0 win over Valladolid on Saturday.
Valeron had been in outstanding form for the Galician club,
masterminding the club's 3-2 win away to Bayern Munich in its
opening Champions League match and setting up both goals for
striker Roy Makaay in the game against Valladolid before going
off injured.
The player himself, who will now miss the rest of his side's
first phase matches as well as Spain's Euro 2004 qualifier
against Northern Ireland, was philosophical about the injury and
refrained from any criticism of the Valladolid defender.
"These things happen in football," he said. "No player
deliberately sets out to injury another and what happened to me
has happened to many other players so we shouldn't make any more
of it."
But Irureta said that, coming on top of injuries to keeper
Jose Molina and Portuguese defender Jorge Andrade, the loss of
Valeron was a considerable blow to the team's chances against
the five-time European champions.
"This is just the latest in a series of setbacks because of
injury, but we will have to produce a response on the pitch and
I am hoping that the home crowd will also help us overcome our
problems."
- Reuters
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Milan has made an impressive start to the season with 3-0
wins over Modena and Perugia in Serie A and a 2-1 victory on
Wednesday against Lens in its opening Champions League Group G
match.
But Nesta, a $29.61 million close-season
signing from Lazio, believes the Spaniards will offer a much
sterner test.
"It has been going quite well, we are warming up and taking
our chances and it is not always easy against smaller teams. But
now it gets harder -- the coming games will show what we are
really made of," Nesta told the club's official website.
The classy Italy international defender picked out
Deportivo's Dutch striker Roy Makaay as the man likely to be the
biggest threat.
"We must watch out for him. Players like him and (Diego)
Tristan are strong and experienced. I often watch Spanish
football on television and Deportivo are a really tough side to
play away. On top of that it is going to be a really hot
atmosphere there," said Nesta.
"The important thing is that we continue to play the way we
know how," he added.
After spending 18 years at Lazio, Nesta was sold to help
ease the Rome club's financial worries, but despite fears he
might find it hard to settle initially at Milan, the defender
says he already feels part of the San Siro setup, largely
thanks to his defensive partner Paolo Maldini.
"I know Paolo well from all the games we have played for
Italy and he has really helped me settle in," said Nesta.
"I feel at home here, although I still haven't found a
house. I am close to my home town, that is normal, but I like it
here as well. I am not bothered by the fog," he said.
Although striker Andriy Shevchenko remains sidelined with a
knee injury, Milan has had no problems in the goalscoring
department with Filippo Inzaghi scoring five times in the three
matches last week.
Brazilian World Cup winner Rivaldo was rested for Saturday's
win over Perugia but is expected to feature against his old club
Deportivo.
Clarence Seedorf and Gennaro Gattuso were left on the bench
but will both start in Spain, with Serginho and Massimo
Ambrosini expected to stand down.
Probable teams:
Deportivo: 25-Juanmi; 12-Lionel Scaloni, 4-Noureddine
Naybet, 20-Donato, 3-Enrique Romero; 18-Victor, 6-Mauro Silva,
16-Sergio, 10-Fran; 9-Diego Tristan, 7-Roy Makaay.
AC Milan: 12-Nelson Dida; 14-Dario Simic, 3-Paolo Maldini,
13-Alessandro Nesta, 4-Kakhaber Kaladze; 8-Gennaro Gattuso,
21-Andrea Pirlo, 20-Clarence Seedorf; 10-Rui Costa; 11-Rivaldo,
9-Filippo Inzaghi.
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