LONDON -- AC Milan's reign as Europe's most powerful soccer team will come to an end Wednesday if it fails to beat modest Austrian club Casino Salzburg in the Champions League.
Defending titlist in a competition it has won three times in the last six seasons, Milan needs a victory in Salzburg to scramble into the quarterfinal. Otherwise, its season is virtually over.
Current form does not point to success for the star-studded club, which is low on morale and trailing well behind in the Italian league it usually dominates.
The team's 2-0 loss to Argentina's Velez Sarsfield last Thursday in the World Club championship in Tokyo means Milan will likely end the season without a single trophy. It also has been eliminated from the Italian Cup.
"This is the same team which won the Champions Cup last season," Milan's managing director Adriano Galliani said. "This sudden fall is puzzling all of us."
Or maybe it's just the end of an era.
The lineup that crushed Barcelona 4-0 in last season's final in Athens, including standout Montenegrin midfielder Dejan Savicevic, is available for the game in Salzburg. Milan needs another performance like the one in the final.
"It's in or out," coach Fabio Capello said. "It's a game we must definitely win. But I can't hide that the team morale is low following the defeat against Velez."
That was Milan's ninth defeat in its last 21 games and the odds are that Salzburg will join already qualified Ajax Amsterdam in the last eight. Ajax hosts AEK Athens in the other Group D game.
Other teams already through to the quarterfinals are IFK Goteborg from Group A, Paris Saint Germain from Group B and Benfica and Hajduk Split from Group C. Goteborg is a surprise qualifier because Barcelona and Manchester United were favored to advance from the group. Now one of the two powerhouses will be eliminated.
United, in third place and a point behind Barcelona, hopes to beat Turkey's Galatasaray at home while the Spanish titlist will try to avoid a home loss to the Swedes.
The other close battle is in Group B.
Mathematically, even last place Dynamo Kiev can advance if it gains a high-scoring home victory over Bayern Munich. Dynamo has only two points, two fewer than Bayern and second place Moscow Spartak.
But Spartak must travel to standings leader Paris St. Germain, which has won all five games so far. Victories for Dynamo and PSG will mean the second qualifying place from the group will be decided on goal differential.
In Group C, Benfica, with eight points from five games, travels to Belgium's Anderlecht while Hajduk, six points, hosts Steaua Bucharest.
Although Milan beat Salzburg 3-0 at San Siro, the Italians had the two points taken away by UEFA, soccer's European governing body, because the Casino goalkeeper Otto Konrad was struck on the head by a bottle thrown by a home fan.
Manchester United wingers Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe, defender Paul Parker and Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel are all injured, while Mark Hughes and Paul Ince are suspended.
Ukrainian winger Andrei Kanchelskis also may miss the game against the Turks at Old Trafford because of a stomach-muscle injury, but at least French striker Eric Cantona is available.
Barcelona is striving to overcome a surprise 2-1 loss to Galatasaray and two winless performances in the Spanish league. But it showed with its 4-0 victory over United a month ago that it can lift its performance at the right time.
"We mustn't be taken by surprise this time," Dutch sweeper Ronald Koeman said. "We know the quality of the opposition, but we also know that when Barcelona is pressed it's always able to respond."
Bayern Munich is also gloomy after a loss to lowly Dynamo Dresden in Bundesliga action at the weekend, and club president Franz Beckenbauer says he wants more enterprise from the team.
"This boring playing around I don't want to see anymore," the former World Cup star said.
Spartak coach Oleg Romantsev told his team to forget about what happens in Kiev between Dynamo and Bayern Munich as his team faces in-form PSG.
"I am putting my players in a winning frame of mind," he said. "We mustn't depend on the outcome of Kiev's game."
Dynamo hopes that striker Viktor Leonenko, who has scored three Champions League goals this season, could be the matchwinner against the Germans.
Eintracht Frankfurt's chances of reaching the last eight of the UEFA Cup may be hampered by a dispute involving three players who failed to show up for a domestic game Saturday.
Ghanaian captain Anthony Yeboah, Nigeria's Jay Okacha and German playmaker Maurizio Gaudino are in dispute with team coach Jupp Heynckes over an extra training session he called last week.
Eintracht goes to Napoli Wednesday defending a 1-0 first leg lead.
Defending titlist in a competition it has won three times in the last six seasons, Milan needs a victory in Salzburg to scramble into the quarterfinal. Otherwise, its season is virtually over.
Current form does not point to success for the star-studded club, which is low on morale and trailing well behind in the Italian league it usually dominates.
The team's 2-0 loss to Argentina's Velez Sarsfield last Thursday in the World Club championship in Tokyo means Milan will likely end the season without a single trophy. It also has been eliminated from the Italian Cup.
"This is the same team which won the Champions Cup last season," Milan's managing director Adriano Galliani said. "This sudden fall is puzzling all of us."
Or maybe it's just the end of an era.
The lineup that crushed Barcelona 4-0 in last season's final in Athens, including standout Montenegrin midfielder Dejan Savicevic, is available for the game in Salzburg. Milan needs another performance like the one in the final.
"It's in or out," coach Fabio Capello said. "It's a game we must definitely win. But I can't hide that the team morale is low following the defeat against Velez."
That was Milan's ninth defeat in its last 21 games and the odds are that Salzburg will join already qualified Ajax Amsterdam in the last eight. Ajax hosts AEK Athens in the other Group D game.
Other teams already through to the quarterfinals are IFK Goteborg from Group A, Paris Saint Germain from Group B and Benfica and Hajduk Split from Group C. Goteborg is a surprise qualifier because Barcelona and Manchester United were favored to advance from the group. Now one of the two powerhouses will be eliminated.
United, in third place and a point behind Barcelona, hopes to beat Turkey's Galatasaray at home while the Spanish titlist will try to avoid a home loss to the Swedes.
The other close battle is in Group B.
Mathematically, even last place Dynamo Kiev can advance if it gains a high-scoring home victory over Bayern Munich. Dynamo has only two points, two fewer than Bayern and second place Moscow Spartak.
But Spartak must travel to standings leader Paris St. Germain, which has won all five games so far. Victories for Dynamo and PSG will mean the second qualifying place from the group will be decided on goal differential.
In Group C, Benfica, with eight points from five games, travels to Belgium's Anderlecht while Hajduk, six points, hosts Steaua Bucharest.
Although Milan beat Salzburg 3-0 at San Siro, the Italians had the two points taken away by UEFA, soccer's European governing body, because the Casino goalkeeper Otto Konrad was struck on the head by a bottle thrown by a home fan.
Manchester United wingers Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe, defender Paul Parker and Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel are all injured, while Mark Hughes and Paul Ince are suspended.
Ukrainian winger Andrei Kanchelskis also may miss the game against the Turks at Old Trafford because of a stomach-muscle injury, but at least French striker Eric Cantona is available.
Barcelona is striving to overcome a surprise 2-1 loss to Galatasaray and two winless performances in the Spanish league. But it showed with its 4-0 victory over United a month ago that it can lift its performance at the right time.
"We mustn't be taken by surprise this time," Dutch sweeper Ronald Koeman said. "We know the quality of the opposition, but we also know that when Barcelona is pressed it's always able to respond."
Bayern Munich is also gloomy after a loss to lowly Dynamo Dresden in Bundesliga action at the weekend, and club president Franz Beckenbauer says he wants more enterprise from the team.
"This boring playing around I don't want to see anymore," the former World Cup star said.
Spartak coach Oleg Romantsev told his team to forget about what happens in Kiev between Dynamo and Bayern Munich as his team faces in-form PSG.
"I am putting my players in a winning frame of mind," he said. "We mustn't depend on the outcome of Kiev's game."
Dynamo hopes that striker Viktor Leonenko, who has scored three Champions League goals this season, could be the matchwinner against the Germans.
Eintracht Frankfurt's chances of reaching the last eight of the UEFA Cup may be hampered by a dispute involving three players who failed to show up for a domestic game Saturday.
Ghanaian captain Anthony Yeboah, Nigeria's Jay Okacha and German playmaker Maurizio Gaudino are in dispute with team coach Jupp Heynckes over an extra training session he called last week.
Eintracht goes to Napoli Wednesday defending a 1-0 first leg lead.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy.