Milan more than a match for Bayern
After facing Arsenal FC and then Chelsea FC in last season's first two knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League, FC Bayern München would have hoped to avoid the competition's big names this time round. Negotiating a route past AC Milan poses another tough challenge as past encounters underline.

Milan supreme
• On all three previous occasions that the sides, who together have won the European Champion Clubs' Cup ten times, have come up against each other in UEFA club competition it has been the Italian team left celebrating at the end. And in each case the victory has proved a stepping stone to them winning the trophy. It happened in the UEFA Champions League of 1989/90 and 2002/03 and also in the 1967/68 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

• In those six matches Bayern have prevailed just once with Milan claiming four victories. The last encounter, the 2002/03 first group stage, ended 2-1 home and away to Carlo Ancelotti's team with Filippo Inzaghi notching three of his side's four goals.

Familiar foes
• Facing opponents from these respective countries is not a new experience for Bayern and Milan this season, while the latter have twice faced German clubs in the Cup Winners' Cup final.

• In the 1967/68 final, Milan defeated Hamburger SV 2-0 in Rotterdam, while in the 1973/74 edition, played again in the Dutch city, they lost by the same scoreline to 1. FC Magdeburg.

Bayern strong in group
• This season, Felix Magath's Bayern team came out of the hat with Juventus and honours finished even in that particular contest with both sides winning at home – again by 2-1. However, Bayern, who reeled off three victories in the first three games, had to settle for runners-up spot after they dropped two points on Matchday 6 away to Club Brugge KV. Sebastian Deisler's two goals home and away against Juventus helped him finish as the Bundesliga side's leading scorer with three.

Last season's run
• It will serve as comfort to the German champions that at this stage last season they hit top form, winning their first game with Arsenal 3-1 to take firm control of the tie. Although the English team gained a measure of revenge at Highbury two weeks later they could only reduce the arrears by a single goal.

• Two thrilling games with Chelsea then ensued and the two-goal margin of defeat suffered on their return to London gave Bayern plenty to do on their own turf. A 3-2 victory was not quite enough to prolong the Munich team's participation.

Milan win group
• Milan, UEFA Champions League finalists in two of the last three seasons and, like Bayern, competing in Europe's premier club competition for the tenth time, are aiming for their fourth successive appearance at the quarter-final stage.

Last visit to Germany
• Their campaign in Group G hit something of a roadblock on Matchday 2 with a 2-2 draw against FC Schalke 04 from their last trip to Germany and another draw followed by defeat away by PSV Eindhoven made them fear for their qualifying ticket.

• Two finishing victories, including a 4-0 away win against Fenerbahçe SK with Andriy Shevchenko scoring all four, put them in better heart and a narrow home success against Schalke kept PSV's strong challenge at bay. Shevchenko's total of six goals left him as the competition's leading scorer after the group stage while Kaká's contribution was also significant as he weighed in with four goals.

Tough test last year
• Milan's passage to last season's final where they lost a dramatic encounter to Liverpool FC on penalties, included 1-0 wins, home and away against Manchester United FC in the first knockout round. The striking skills of Hernán Crespo proved the difference each time.

Contrasting records
• It will boost the Rossoneri's confidence still further that they have remained unbeaten on their last three visits to face German clubs.

• Bayern will be hoping to build a significant lead at home. Games at Italian clubs - the second leg is on 8 March - have not gone well for them of late and they have lost on their last five outings. However, they did win the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League final in Milan, with a 5-4 success on penalties against Valencia CF after a 1-1 draw.

I know that the Arsenal vs Real Madrid game is getting all the attention on SP but to me this is the best game of them all. Two historical heavyweights in the CL, IMO its so underrated.

agreed
people cannot be serious that the best matchup is real madrid-arsenal.
two teams with no hosility and are not doing much in their leagues
this board is loaded with there fans so people think it's there team
it's the second best matchup
first being chelsea-barcelona for the fact of the hosility of the matchup and it's the talk of the transfers between clubs and the pitch, cannot hurt
i like this teams cause there so similar and in my opinion, the winner of the matchup is the winner of the whole champions league
both teams have experience but may towards the end of there run as there is ballack transfer talk for bayern and the age of ze roberto, while ac milan has an old backline and just cannot maintain forever
i would like the makaay vs shevchenko, kahn vs dida, lucio vs nesta, sagnol vs cafu, ballack vs kaka, gattuso vs schweinsteiger
ac backline has been struggling (so i have heard) so i give bayern the advantage
the fact it would not be an attacking based match like real-arsenal, which first to form anything that remotely resembles a defence will win
im sad to see the key injuries with maldini and kahn, whom at there prime is worthy of any championship team
the biggest problem for bayern: kaka
biggest problem for ac: makaay/pizarro

Well Bayern is on top of the Bundesliga and they aren't showing any signs of letting go. They are a great team, I really enjoy watching there games when they are on TV. AC Milan has been struggling this year (By thier very high standards) but they are still AC Milan, with some of the worlds best players and the best form in recent years in the CL.

While I like both teams I will be supporting Bayern in this matchup. They are a wonderful team to watch, with great strikers like Makaay and Pizarro and Ballack running the midfield. I think they arent getting the recognition they deserve and I would like to see them go on a good run in this CL.

As for this...The Real Madrid vs. Arsenal does have no history as you say, this is the first time they meet in Europe. Madrid have hit their form in 2006, they have been looking very good as of late, but Arsenal have just gotten worse recently and are struggling with many injuries. It should be a very entertaining matchup, but right now its looking as if it will be terribly one-sided.

Projected Line-ups anyone?

A very underrated classic matchup. I'll be forced to download this match. I expect one hell of a match!

it isn't sure whether Kahn's stands in the goal or not. He got injured in the last Bundesliga match against Hannover 96. Maybe we see the young Rensing in the goal.

It's going to be a 1-1 at the end!

Never thought this would happen but I am actually rooting for the German team tonight! After last year, I just can't stand Milan. I hope all Italian teams are out after this round, they play anti-football.

Massive game tonight, need to win, hopefully without conceeding.

line ups - no Kahn for Bayern

Michael Rensing
Willy Sagnol
Valerien Ismael
Lucio
Philipp Lahm
Hasan Salihamidzic
Martin Demichelis
Michael Ballack
Zé Roberto
Claudio Pizarro
Roy Makaay


Dida
Jaap Stam
Alessandro Nesta
Kakha Kaladze
Serginho
Andrea Pirlo
Kaká
Gennaro Gattuso
Clarence Seedorf
Andriy Shevchenko
Alberto Gilardino


Hopefully young Rensing can do well, massive pressure on him.
Hopefully Bayern will go 1-0 up early.

Have fun watching it .

Bayern will win! Makaay will be match winner

great Ballack goal, Bayern 1-0 Milan

ballack i love you!


what a goal

Ballack is brilliant!

I hope he won't move to Real!

penalty for milan and... sheva scores

damn!!! Dida is injured and he's replaced by Kalac =/

Yellow for Gattuso, and that means he will miss the 2nd leg =(

Whats the score`?

It's 1-1....Ballack & Shevchenko scored

That was some goal by Ballack reminded me of Garcia's against Juve

Did you enjoy that? Better don't say yes .

But well, a penalty for this situation? No way. Bayern got obviously robbed in that penalty situation, that is just how it is.
First half was big time by Bayern, quality performance, deserved lead. The start in the second half was way too defensive minded, they hold on to it well tho until the penalty came and Bayerns game changed, maybe it was the shock or the too good first half or whatever. Some Bayern players had a very quiet game, overall a disappointing result.
Should have been 1-0 or 2-0, I am sure that it would have been like that without the situation that looked like the ref didn't wanted Bayern to win.
Just proves that refs are too mighty these days, one hilarious call can cost a team everything.

Anyway, it is still possible to get into the next round, just need to continue to play football and let Milan make their game including loads of fouls and then it should work out for us.

Keep the faith that Bayern is better .

Great goal by Ballack, and really an unlucky call on Ismael.

i think without the penalty munich has dominated the 2 half time too

this horrible decision isn`t very good for a team, who is running the whole time to make a goal, and then the other team only with luck get this ridiculous penalty

i really think munich is the better team, and i am optimistic about the game in milan

Welcome to SP mate . Seeing you are Bayern, I suggest that you should make sure to watch out for the german soccer forum on SP, to have some good discussions about Bayern etc.

I agree with your post, we had more posession in 2nd half too, but it wasn't dangerous for Milan anymore.
It can be turned around anyway, we looked better than Milan.

We should make it in case that we don't get robbed off again which broke our whole performance.

In my eyes the pencalty call was the right decision. Ismael saw the ball and kinda held his elbow in the direction of the ball.. Pretty similar deciosn like abel xavier in euro 00 vs France...
If this incident was on the other side, Bayern would have cried.
Anyways this draw was the deserved result as Munich wasnt able to pull anything out in the 2nd half...

Okay, right, it can't be changed anyway. I still have my doubts about it, especially when we compare the Ismael situation with yesterdays obvious handballs by Terry, Geremi and Tacchinardi which all didn't resulted in a penalty. Where is the justice when some teams don't get penalties for obvious intentional handballs and others get penalties for very doubtful situations? one single call can change it all.

But the comment on the 2nd half is just true by you, Bayern didn't do enough anymore.
The result is okay, should have been better but it is not over yet, luckily.