Improved Milan set to impress

By Paolo Menicucci in Istanbul

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti was in confident mood during his eve-of-match press conference in Istanbul on Tuesday - insisting his current side are better than the team that lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2003 after beating Juventus FC on penalties at Old Trafford.

'No doubts'
"We are stronger than two years ago," Ancelotti said. "Now we are more certain of our strength, while in Manchester we had more doubts. Personally I don't have any kind of doubt about the final. I'm sure what our performance will be and I'm sure we will do well."

Respect for Liverpool
Still, the Rossoneri coach has plenty of respect for Liverpool and their manager Rafael Benítez. "Against Chelsea [FC] and Juventus they showed all their great qualities. They're organised, they defend well and they are extremely dangerous on the counterattack.

'A complete team'
"I think Liverpool are a team with an international flavour," the 45-year-old added. "They can do everything well. They can defend when they need to defend, but they can also attack when they need to score. They are a complete and extremely balanced team."

'Built from the back'
Ancelotti believes Liverpool fully deserve their final place and revealed an admiration for their defensive approach to the game. "Everyone was expecting Chelsea to reach the final, but after watching Liverpool's matches against Juventus, I understood they were a very difficult side to beat. I think they deserved to win against Chelsea. I expect them to try and defend well tomorrow but it's normal because I'm sure that great results are built from the back."

Gerrard praise
As to the identity of his favourite Liverpool player, Ancelotti was quick to nominate Steven Gerrard. "Gerrard is among the best midfield players in the world," he said. "He is a high-quality player, he's very dynamic and has a great personality. However, he will not decide the game by himself. No single player can do that."

'Clear heads'
Nor does the coach think that an early goal would facilitate his team's task. "I think we have to play well for 90 minutes if we want to win the final. It doesn't matter if we score in the early stages or at the end of the game. We just need to attack with clear heads."

No tired legs
Milan have not won in four outings this month, as a long hard season catches up with the squad, but Ancelotti is adamant that tiredness will not be a factor on Wednesday night. "We started to focus on this game ten days ago, after the draw against [US] Lecce which put us five points behind Juventus in the race for the Scudetto. I'm sure we will be completely ready for the final."

'Mental pressure'
He also expects the tie to be decided before a possible penalty shoot-out. "It's a remote possibility and I think it's very difficult to practise for such an eventuality. It's impossible to replicate the mental pressure that a player has to handle before taking a penalty in a Champions League final."

Trophy dream
Penalties or not, Ancelotti's mission is to bring the cup with the big ears back to Milan. "Without a shadow of a doubt, this trophy has a special appeal. We had it two years ago and it is a very good feeling to see it again and have the chance to return it to Milan. Two years ago some of us even slept with the thing!"