Posts Tagged ‘Kaká’

Inter Milan vs. AC Milan Preview: 270th Derby della Madonnina

Friday, February 13th, 2009

Derby della Madonnina 2008-09

The time is nearly upon us again. The Inter vs. Milan derby at the Giuseppe Meazza (or, Derby della Madonnina for those in the know) is one of the most eagerly awaited fixtures on the international footballing calendar, one that holds interest for thousands of Interisti/Rossoneri fans everywhere and neutral spectactors all over the world. I’m going to have a look ahead to the derby, see if I can pick out the protagonists/danger men to keep an eye on while trying and offer some football betting picks along the way.

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Milan 1-1 Reggina: Not Even Beckham Can Save Milan as Amaranto Create Stupor (Serie A Matchday 23)

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

The build-up to the Derby della Madonnina next week-end could not have taken a worse turn for the Rossoneri. Well, in truth Milan could have lost today, that would have probably been worse. But in a night of creativity draught and already fairly damaged back-lines, the prospect of playing against Inter without Kaká (injured) and Bonera (suspended) must not bring happy thoughts to Carlo Ancelotti. Not even if Galliani announces Beckham is dumping the Galaxy this week.

As for Reggina, what can you say about a team who in the span of two weeks managed to steal a point first from AS Roma and then AC Milan? Maybe that their relegation battle isn’t a lost cause.

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Lazio 0-3 Milan: It’s a Beckham-Powered Rossoneri Machine (Serie A Matchday 22)

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

Could this really be possible? Could David Beckham really be the missing piece of the AC Milan puzzle, the piece that so far prevented the Rossoneri from a achieving a consistent string of away victories?

Sunday evening’s match vs. Lazio certainly seems to indicate so, and it was only the umpteenth game in a series of top-notch performances for the Englishman. The term “exceeding all expectations” doesn’t even begin to to decribe the mood at Milanello these days, but suffice to say that Becks not only left his mark on the highlights reel (two very valuable assists to Pato and Ambrosini) but better yet, he didn’t miss a single pass or ball control. Unanimously voted man-of-the-match, it’s no coincidence AC Milan inserted the (soon ex?) Galaxy player into their UEFA Cup list. A strong nudge by Adriano Galliani towards North America…

And just to complete the series of good news for the Rossoneri: they are now sitting second in the rankings, 1 point above Juve and 6 points behind their rival cousins. It’s a bit soon to be talking about “anti-Inter” team again, but what’s certain is that the Serie A race is on now more than ever.

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Top 50 Worst Things About Modern Soccer

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

Football is one of the greatest things in the world but it’s not perfect. It used to be perfect. Before money and television and the Bosman ruling and Baby Bentleys and roastings and tattoos and takeovers and no standing and agents and prawn sandwiches and rotation.

English newspaper The Times takes a stab at the “50 Worst Things about Modern Football”, or soccer as they call it North America. They also add “it could have been 500″.

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Serie A Matchday 20: Juventus vs. Fiorentina & Napoli vs. Roma to Whet the Appetite…

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

The first round of the 2008-09 Serie A campaign just ended last week, and with Matchday 20 at our doorstep it is time to try something different. In my last previews I’ve focused solely on one match; this week I think it is to expand our horizons and look at several of the bigger fixtures in Italy’s top flight league. If you’ve been following my football betting advice so far, you might be doing okay. I haven’t got a score correct yet but I thought AC Milan would draw at Roma and then beat Fiorentina, which they did but only by one goal (I went with 3-1).

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