Liverpool seek return to European golden age

Liverpool will need to display the cunning and conviction that defined their European golden age if they are to upset predictions and beat a more accomplished Milan side in today's Champions League final.

Liverpool, four-times winners between 1977 and 1984, revived memories of those heady European nights in seeing off Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Chelsea in the knockout rounds to reach their first final in the competition in 20 years.

This clash with Milan, who won the European Cup for the sixth time in 2003, presents a still greater challenge for a Liverpool side with a threadbare look compared to Carlo Ancelotti's team.

"We know we're not the favourites going into the game," Liverpool's Spanish coach Rafael Benitez recognised. "But we deserve to be in the final and now we're here we have nothing to lose.

"Everything is possible."

Surprisingly, today's game at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium will be the first UEFA competition meeting of two sides who have racked up 504 European matches between them and appeared in 21 finals.

It comes in the 50th final since the competition began in the 1955-56 season.

For Milan it will be a fifth final since 1993; for Liverpool a first since the tragedy of 1985.

Liverpool, in their first season under Benitez, finished fifth in England's Premier League and will be playing in the lesser UEFA Cup next season unless they win today and are given special dispensation to defend the trophy.

Milan were much more impressive in Serie A, finishing runners-up to Juventus, but after seeing Liverpool prevail against their Italian rivals with a mixture of attacking panache and uncompromising commitment they will be far from complacent.

"It's not a surprise that Liverpool are here," said Milan's Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf, the only man to have won the competition with three different clubs.

"We're talking about a team that's part of European history."

Liverpool were banned from European competition for six years in the wake of the Heysel disaster and the return to the top of the European game has been a long and frustrating process, although they did win the UEFA Cup for the third time in 2001.

Milan have also experienced years starved of success at the highest level.

After winning the European Cup for the second time in 1969 they had to wait 20 years before winning it again with a 4-0 victory over Steaua Bucharest.

The Italians are playing in their 10th European Cup or Champions League final and are aiming for their seventh victory. Only Real Madrid, with nine titles, have been European champions more times.

Ancelotti is one of four men to have won the European Cup both as a player and coach.

He was in Milan's winning side in 1989 and 1990 and was coach when they beat Juventus on penalties in 2003.

Ancelotti looks increasingly likely to play Dutchman Jaap Stam alongside Alessandro Nesta in central defence, while moving Paolo Maldini to left back.

The other question mark over the Milan team is whether Hernan Crespo or Filippo Inzaghi starts in attack alongside European Player of the Year Andriy Shevchenko.

Benitez has a similar dilemma with Igor Biscan and Dietmar Hamann vying for a place in a five-man midfield. He must also decide between Milan Baros and Djibril Cisse as his main striker.

Liverpool's top scorer in Europe this season has been the Spaniard Luis Garcia.

The former Barcelona player has scored five goals from midfield, including a spectacular strike against Juventus in the quarter-finals and the controversial winner against Chelsea.

Shevchenko has scored six Champions League goals this season.

The Ukrainian bagged the winning penalty in Milan's shoot-out win over Juventus two years ago and the presence of the European Player of the Year is the biggest argument in favour of another success for the Italians.

Figures relating to final...

¤ This is the 50th final since the competition began, with Milan making their 10th appearance and attempting to win the trophy for the seventh time.

Their six previous successes were in 1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994 and 2003 and losing appearances came in 1958, 1993 and 1995.

¤ Liverpool are making their sixth appearance in the final, having won the trophy in 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1984 and lost in 1985.

It will be Liverpool's third successive European Cup final against Italian opposition after facing Roma in 1984 and Juventus in 1985.

¤ Milan captain Paolo Maldini is appearing in his seventh final for the club, after winning in 1989, 1990, 1994 and 2003 and losing in 1993 and 1995.

His father Cesare captained Milan when they won the European Cup for the first time in 1963.

¤ Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is one of only four men to win the European Cup as both a player and a coach.

He was in Milan's winning side in 1989 and 1990 and was coach when they beat Juventus on penalties in 2003.

¤ Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez is attempting to follow success in the UEFA Cup with a European Cup victory in successive seasons, a feat achieved by Liverpool's Bob Paisley in 1976 and 1977 and Jose Mourinho with Porto in 2003 and 2004.

¤ Although Real Madrid have appeared in 11 European Cup finals and won a record nine times, Milan have reached more finals since the Champions League era began in 1992-93.

This is their fifth final since the Champions League was introduced and they are attempting to win it for the third time, the same as Madrid in the same period.

¤ Following last Wednesday's UEFA Cup, 135 European club competitions have been completed since the European Cup was launched in 1955-56.

England, Italy and Spain have all won 27 trophies, so either Milan or Liverpool will put their country at the top of the all-time list today.

¤ Italy's 27 trophies comprise nine European Cup wins; 10 Fairs Cup/UEFA cup wins and eight European Cup Winners' Cup wins. England have won the European Cup nine times; the Fairs Cup/UEFA Cup 10 times and the Cup Winners' Cup eight times.

¤ Only four clubs have won all three competitions: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Ajax. Milan can join them by winning the UEFA Cup, but Liverpool never won the now-discontinued Cup Winners' Cup... the closest they came was in 1966 when they lost 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund.

¤ Milan's Clarence Seedorf is the only player to win the European Cup with three different clubs: Ajax (1995), Real Madrid in 1998 and Milan in 2003.

In 1995 he played against Milan.

On TV: Live on TVM and Canale Cinque at 8.45 p.m.