When I bet against AC Milan they bite me in the butt and when I cheer for them, they do the same (but in the opposite direction). I had predicted a low-scoring affair and while 2:1 is still a low-score it definitely was not as memorable of a match as most would have liked. Liverpool played well but did not take their chances. AC Milan did not play that well, but did make the most of their oppertunities and that is why they leave Athens with yet another trophy for their collection.

I think the match at half-time was still anyone's match and while AC Milan did exactly what any team would do after scoring a 2nd late goal, they slowed the game down. It got interesting when Kuyt scored his header in the 89th, but once you heard 3 minutes of extra time, you knew it would only result in one real opportunity for the Reds and they failed to take advantage. Yes, Liverpool fans can complain that the ref only allowed 2 and a half minutes of injury time, but when you had the opportunity to win score in the first 90 minutes, you couldn't and thus the result is the result.

I am still in the same boat as a lot of people; while AC Milan are my favorite club from Italy, I still think they should have have been allowed in this tournament after their involvement in the Serie A scandal. Mind you, the whole scandal became a farce after appeal after appeal turned large penalties into minor infractions, but that is not the point of this blog.

AC Milan have solidified themselves as the most dominatant club in Europe. In the past 25 years, they have more success than any other club in Europe and they should be proud of it. While Real Madrid have won more titles, most of them were during the minow years of the Champions Cup when it wasn't that largely contested and in recent years have not been as visible as AC Milan have been.

Will AC Milan be able to repeat as champions, history proves otherwise as it is increasing difficult for the champ to stay on top; with the quality of football improving everywhere in Europe, you'll be hard pressed to say that AC Milan are the team to beat, but at the same time, they will definitely be the team to watch out for, and in most cases, to avoid.

It started in early August with the qualifications and now it ends in May with the final in Athens. Outside of fans from the two clubs, most people are not too interested with this match. You have people who still feel that AC Milan should have never been given the rights to compete in this competition considering the debacle that has occurred in Italy; on the other side you have a Liverpool club that did not compete in their league and has played only for this tournament.

I have mentioned in the past that I was at the first match between these two in Istanbul and while that match was incredible, this match probably won't be that great since both clubs will be going into this match with a lot of caution.

I worry that AC Milan with their questionable front could have a hard time against a Liverpool side that are extremely fresh. Yes, Milan have avoided playing their top players recently, their recent loses isn't a good morale boost. While Kaka is absolutely incredible, he can't do it all on his own and will need a lot of support from his teammates. What worries me for Milan continues with what they plan on doing in terms of their formation. Milan are not known recently to play the traditional 4-4-2 variations so you can probably expect something along the lines of a 4-5-1 with Inzaghi playing the lone striker with Kaka playing right behind him and either a 2-2-1 midfield or a 1-3-1...these are odds formations 4-2-2-1-1 and 4-1-3-1-1 are not commonly used by most clubs, but Milan could do that. I think the key for Milan to win will be to have support outside of Kaka; this will result in Pirlo and Gattuso to take control of the ball to allow Kaka and Inzaghi (or whoever is playing upfront) to get into space.

The problem there is that you know for certain that Liverpool will deploy a 4-4-2 formation and will cover all the angles on the pitch. Unlike in 2005 where you have Sheva and Crespo upfront causing problems they won't be able to do it with a sole striker and relying solely on Kaka could blow up in Milan's face.

While I have put a lot of pressure on Milan, it won't be easy for Liverpool either. They will have to rely heavily on all their players to control the ball and to keep it away from the Milan midfielders. If Liverpool control the ball, then they stand a good chance of winning. You can expect the striker duo to be Crouch and Kuyt with Gerrard and Mascherano support in the Midfield with Xabi Alonso probably also taking part. You have to also like Reina in goal for Liverpool, so even if Kaka and his teammates take their chances, Reina should be able to stop them.

In the end, this will be a close game, and will be decided by one goal. If Liverpool control possession, they will score and hold on to the lead. If Liverpool fail to hold Kaka away from the ball, then he will help set-up that goal that will give AC Milan the victory. I've stated in the past that I feel the final score will be 1:0 for Liverpool and I still think that. I'm not going out on a limb for a clear win and while Milan fans will be hoping for a slaughter to fix the demons of 2005, they won't do it, but will still fight until the death and even in a loss will have played well enough.

On a side note: I was shopping on the weekend and noticed that Adidas has released throw-back jerseys of both AC Milan and Liverpool from the late 80s, early 90s. I found that really interesting that Adidas is marketing this match the way there are. While I am not a Liverpool supporter, if you are one, you should probably try to pick up their jersey with the 'Candy' sponsorship because it's a really nice classic jersey that a Liverpool fan should own.

The FA Cup final on Saturday wasn't that interesting but I must say that the finish to La Liga will be incredible. It will be disappointing if the season ends with two team on level points and their head-to-head determining the winner. I've always hated that and wish that tie-breakers did not determine a winner of a league. I wish all leagues would go back to have a one-off neutral finish to determine winner (which I still believe Italy does). It happened earlier this season when PSV won the Dutch League on a goal-difference over Ajax as they both finished with Level points. Just imagine the kind of match the Madrid v Barca Winner-Playoff would be? The match played in Valencia to a sold out crowd with the winner getting the title. It would be a fan's dream match.

I may be a Barca supporter, I still think that because of the head-to-head, Real Madrid will take the trophy at the end of the season. The biggest surprise will be if both Barca and Real slip only to have Sevilla leap-frog both clubs to steal the trophy. That would be absolutely incredible and great for the game, especially to those that feel that European soccer can be too predictable with the richer clubs always winning out. It hurts me that Schalke blew it yet again to finish 2nd in Germany, it is nice that at least Bayern Munich didn't win it this time. Have fun in the UEFA Cup Bayern!