AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has decided who will partner Kaka in attack for today's Champions League final against Liverpool, but refused to say whether the experience of Fillipo Inzaghi has been preferred to the youth of Alberto Gilardino.
"I've decided who's going to play, but I haven't told the players yet," Ancelotti said ahead of the two sides' first meeting since the 2005 final, which Liverpool won on penalties.
"Everyone deserves to play, not only the 11 who start the match. I can say that the squad is in good shape. We have worked well, and we are ready for Wednesday," he said.
Kaka has been Milan's driving force in Europe this season with 10 goals in the competition so far, and Liverpool will try to shackle the creative Brazilian whose three strikes in the semi-finals helped put Manchester United out.
Therefore the choice of Milan's second striker is an important one, with Italian media reports suggesting Inzaghi has been given the nod.
Inzaghi is 33, nine years older than Gilardino, but his goal instincts have proved invaluable to Milan in the past, especially in European competition.
But while Inzaghi is an out-and-out goal scorer who just concerns himself with being in the right place at the right time, Gilardino is quick and links up well with Milan's midfield.
Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister who is never afraid to voice his views about team selection, believes Gilardino, scorer of 16 goals this season, should start.
"I would play Gilardino from the start and put on Inzaghi when the opposition are tiring," Berlusconi said.
Milan captain Paolo Maldini said last week that he expected to be fit to face Liverpool, but doubts linger as to whether his troublesome left knee will stand up to such a challenge.
Assuming he has proved his fitness, Maldini will partner Alessandro Nesta at the heart of Milan's defense, flanked by Marek Jankulovski on the left and Massimo Oddo on the right.
The midfield quartet will comprise Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Massimo Ambrosini.
Seedorf will be given license to get forward as often as he can.
RSS