Serie A juggernauts Milan have descended on Malta fully intent on pepping up the physical condition of their players for the battles that lie ahead.

Carlo Ancelotti, Milan's coach, stressed the importance of their winter training camp when addressing a news conference at the Radisson Golden Sands Resort, their base during the Malta sojourn.

"We're happy to be on this beautiful island which will hopefully prove to be the ideal location for our winter training camp," Ancelotti said.

"We feel at home already. Our objective is to make the most of our stay in Malta and prepare as well as we can for the rest of the season."

Also present for the briefing were Milan captain Paolo Maldini and midfielder Clarence Seedorf, Birkirkara coach Stephen Azzopardi and a delegation from the Maltese champions that included chairman Victor Zammit and international secretary John Borg among others.

Invited to sum up 2006 for Milan, currently 12th in the 20-team Serie A, and Italian football in general, Ancelotti said: "It was a great year for Italy because the national team won the World Cup.

"From our point-of-view, 2006 was a good year until June. Then, the match-fixing scandal rocked Italian football and all the clubs implicated in it.

"Nevertheless, I think that Milan's prospects for 2007 are good."

After negotiating their way past Red Star Belgrade in a qualifying tie (3-1 on aggregate), Milan advanced from the group phase and into the last 16 of the Champions League where a clash with Scottish champions Celtic awaits them.

Ancelotti made no attempt to disguise the fact that success in Europe is Milan's chief objective.

"The Champions League has always been a prime target for Milan under this president (Silvio Berlusconi)," Ancelotti observed.

"Milan always set out to offer a sustained challenge in the Champions League which is the most difficult competition. There are many strong teams still in the reckoning but we are at a par with them."

When it was put to Maldini that the Rossoneri had gone on to win the European Cup in 1969 after they had played a friendly against Hibs in Malta a few months earlier, the Milan captain said: "During our stay we will strive to train hard but I wouldn't mind if history repeats itself and Milan go all the way in the Champions League."

Maldini, undoubtedly one of the all-time football greats and Italy's most capped player with 126 appearances, reiterated the importance of this winter training camp.

"This period is almost crucial for us because all the players are here and willing to work to boost our physical condition."

Maldini's comments were echoed by his mentor.

"We needed this break as our pre-season was far from ideal," Ancelotti said. "Our players had little fuel in their system but their commitment has seen us through so far."

Inter, Milan's city rivals, have emerged as firm favourites to end their title drought, having opened up a seven-point gap on second-placed Roma before the Serie A stopped for the festive season.

Despite being hit with an eight-point penalty by the tribunal investigating the match-fixing scandal, Milan had given the impression that they could give Inter a tough ride after they wiped out their deficit in their opening three games.

This has looked less and less likely as the Serie A campaign gathered pace. While Inter maintained their title pace, Milan lost their early sparkle and hit a barren spell which spanned several weeks.

As a consequence, Inter, this season the epitome of consistency with 15 wins, three wins and no defeats in 18 matches, now have a massive 28-point lead over Milan while Juventus cannot pose a threat as they were demoted to the Serie B.

As two of the most glorious clubs in Italy and perennial challengers for the top honours, Milan and Juventus are fierce rivals but Ancelotti and Maldini both remarked that the exclusion of the Bianconeri from the Serie A did not do Italian football any good.

"I miss Juventus as an opponent," Maldini noted. "The championship is not the same without them but it looks like next year normal service will be resumed."

Ancelotti agreed with his captain.

"Juventus have always been present in Italian football. I believe that Juve must stay in Serie A. Every season, our duels with Juventus are gripping affairs."

Clarence Seedorf, one of the most experienced players in the current Milan squad, has also come to regard this season's league as something of an anomaly.

"This year's championship is definitely not the same as in recent years," the Dutch midfielder said. "With regards to Inter, their performance level has been good and they deserve to be on top."

Ancelotti would not be drawn into discussing Milan's plans for the January transfer window. "We regularly consult our club officials about potential transfer targets and our strategy is already in place," Ancelotti remarked.

"We will only go for players who, in our opinion, can be useful to the team."

Shevchenko rumours

Andriy Shevchenko's on-going struggle to adapt to the English Premier League since leaving Milan to join Chelsea last summer has seen the Ukrainian repeatedly linked with an immediate return to his former club.

With the January transfer window now open, the 'Shevchenko-back-to-Milan' rumours have resurfaced. The speculation is bound to increase after reports claimed that Roman Abramovich, Chelsea's billionaire owner, was expected to fly into Malta on his private jet last night.

Not for the first time this season, Ancelotti strongly rebuffed suggestions that Shevchenko was on his way back to San Siro.

"No, Shevchenko is not coming back to Milan," Ancelotti claimed.

Faced with reports about Abramovich's fleeting visit to Malta, Ancelotti said he knew nothing about it, jokingly adding: "If he's around tonight, we may host him for dinner."

Critics have often claimed that the Milan coach is not very receptive to the idea of partnering Filippo Inzaghi with Alberto Gilardino up front.

Ancelotti said: "Inzaghi and Gilardino can play together but obviously their selection in the first team depends on current form."

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