Stam seeks final proof

By Adrian Clarke

Jaap Stam believes victory against Liverpool FC in the UEFA Champions League final will fully vindicate his decision to sign for AC Milan last summer.

Several options
The former Dutch international, who earned a European Champion Clubs' Cup winners' medal with Manchester United FC six years ago, had the opportunity to join a number of top sides, including Serie A rivals Juventus FC, when cash-strapped S.S Lazio sold him a year ago.

Winning agenda
However, he has no regrets at having chosen Carlo Ancelotti's side, especially now that they are on the verge of a major success. He told uefa.com: "I came to AC Milan to win the biggest competitions," he said. "If I do win my second Champions League it will be up there with the greatest prizes in my career. I will be just as proud as I was in 1999 if we win in Turkey - but there is still a lot of hard work to do first."

Indifferent run
Stam's slight note of caution does indeed seem well founded in the wake of Milan's indifferent form leading up to their clash with Liverpool. Two defeats and two draws from their last four matches is a far from impressive run ahead of such an important game.

Tired legs
"Our form in recent games hasn't been at the same level it's been at for most of the season, and I don't know why," Stam said. "But everybody at AC Milan is really up for this game. This final is a one-off match, so any form going into the game is pretty irrelevant. It will be all about who performs best on the night, which is why effort and desire could be two of the most important ingredients."

Liverpool respect
Ancelotti's side begin as strong favourites to lift their seventh European Cup at the Atatürk Olympic stadium, Istanbul but the English side's resolute performances in Europe this season - particularly in the knockout stages - have earned them enormous respect in Milan, according to Stam.

Strong lines
He claimed: "Liverpool are a good all-round side with every department possessing a lot of quality. As a team they defend very well and in Jamie Carragher they have a top class centre-back. In midfield Steven Gerrard is probably Liverpool's main driving force and up front Milan Baroš and Djibril Cissé are also big dangers because of their pace and movement, so we need to be careful.

Maximum effort
"Some people are saying that AC Milan are favourites, but I think it's an even match to call. We're certainly not taking it for granted that we will win. This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest game of most players' careers so the least everyone can expect is 110 per cent effort. All of our players will give it their all to beat Liverpool in Istanbul. If that's not good enough, we'll accept it."

'Go for it'
As a parting shot, Stam was keen to remind the Merseysiders of the powers at Milan's command, concluding: "Two players that might play a big role are Andriy Shevchenko and Kaká. Shevchenko is always there when we need him most, which is the sign of a truly world-class player. And over the last two years everyone in Italy has seen Kaká develop and grow into a superstar. We're confident of success but nothing is guaranteed. All we can do is go for it!"

Jaap Stam's personal website is at www.icons.com