Club Focus - Milan - Nesta & Pato return to help boost Milan ahead of the season's most important match

Leonardo must have been a relieved man after seeing his players finally notch a win to overcome bogey team Udinese who have defeated Milan twice this season. The match marked the return of key duo Alessandro Nesta and Alexandre Pato. The Italian centre-back will bring experience and confidence to a defense which has looked shaky in his absence. Nesta is truly one of Serie A’s pleasant stories this campaign after not only featuring regularly for Milan but playing with purpose and poise as well.

The Coach will look to Nesta, who was crucial in previous Champions League triumphs, to try and limit Wayne Rooney’s threat. With all respect to the former Lazio captain he is no longer as agile or as fast to completely cancel out Rooney’s threat but at this stage of his career the extensive experience and his calm demeanour will help him deal with Rooney and potentially reduce his impact on the match proceedings. As for Brazilian youngster Pato, his return will be a massive boost to the struggling Rossoneri offense which found the back of the net in his absence on one occasion in the last four games. Pato’s presence in itself will be crucial as his pace and set of skills will bother Manchester United’s defenders. He even scored a goal against Udinese and did appear a threat whenever he had the ball.

One concern is the status of striker Marco Borriello, who is still nursing an injury and was rested against Udinese with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar starting in his place and capping his appearance with a brace. Despite the start, Leonardo does appear reluctant to rely on the Dutch striker and he must see something which the tifosi do not as he has limited Huntelaar to a series of cameo appearances. It would be hard to bet against him benching Huntelaar if Borriello shakes off his injury to prove he is fit enough to start against the Red Devils. Leonardo has shown throughout the season he is confident about his selections and formations even when the Rossoneri have struggled.

One other worry is the condition of Nesta’s partner Thiago Silva, but the latest reports from Milanello indicate the Brazilian is improving well and will likely start tonight. He has formed a solid partnership with the rejuvenated Nesta. Together they have been one of the better central defensive duos in Serie A during this campaign. Leo will be pleased to have rediscovered Ronaldinho, who was struggling for a couple of games and facing rumours of partying prior to certain fixtures. The Brazilian playmaker was impressive against the Zebrette to the extent he overshadowed the returning Pato and goal scorer Huntelaar. The Brazilian Coach will be relying heavily on Ronaldinho to slice open the visitors’ defense and supply the forwards with assists to convert into goals. He is one of the few players in the Milan side who can create something out of an ordinary situation as Pato tends to rely more on his pace, exuberance and scoring touch. The club’s other creative force, Andrea Pirlo, can come up with the occasional defence-splitting pass but is no longer the same player he used to be.

Leonardo appears to be focused on countering the aggression and physical prowess of Sir Alex Ferguson’s midfield so he is likely to bench Clarence Seedorf to make way for either Gennaro Gattuso or Mathieu Flamini to partner captain Massimo Ambrosini and add some steel to the Rossoneri midfield. Milan will be focused on keeping a clean sheet at home but acknowledge a scoreless draw will not do them favours ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford so they will be looking for Ronaldinho and Pato to register at least a goal. The Rossoneri players know this European tie could decide Leonardo’s future come season’s end but realise their experience could work to their advantage. Ferguson claims Milan are in a tough position after losing Kaká this season, but as Clarence Seedorf suggested, United are going through their own transitional period after losing Cristiano Ronaldo. The Rossoneri must be aware of the fact the English side are beginning to hit form after some inconsistent displays earlier in the season.

The match will serve as a revenge mission for the Red Devils who were eliminated by the Rossoneri in the semi-final in 2007. Ferguson referred to the 2007 tie when discussing the expectations for tonight’s match-up. Who is better off without their respective star, Manchester or Milan?