Madrid success gives Milan reason to believe

After their surprise home defeat by FC Zürich on 30 September, AC Milan will be determined to put themselves back in favour with their supporters with another good performance against Real Madrid CF.

• Their Matchday 2 reverse had left the Italian giants lagging in Group C, and their prospects looked even worse when Raúl González gave Madrid a 19th-minute lead at the Santiago Bernabéu. However, two goals in quick succession from Andrea Pirlo (62) and Pato (66) turned the match around. Substitute Royston Drenthe looked to have earned Madrid a point, yet Pato volleyed a winner with two minutes remaining to leave Milan and Madrid level on six points at the top of the table.

Previous meetings
• The teams' first competitive contest was a semi-final encounter in the European Champion Clubs' Cup debut season of 1955/56. Madrid edged that tie 5-4 on aggregate on their way to the first of five successive crowns.

• Milan have won all five home games against Madrid and have only conceded one goal. That came in their first meeting, the second leg of the semi-final 53 years ago which they won 2-1.

• Madrid's last visit to Milan was in November 2002, a 1-0 defeat in the second group stage. They have since made six visits to Italy, losing on four occasions. Their only victory in that period came in December 2004 when they won 3-0 at AS Roma.

Match background
• Milan's defeat by Zürich means they have lost two in a row in the UEFA Champions League at San Siro. Their previous home game resulted in a 2-0 loss to Arsenal FC in the 2007/08 first knockout round.

• This is the fourth time in three seasons that Los Merengues have been drawn against Italian opponents and they have lost the last five matches. They had won just one of the previous eight meetings.

• After their Matchday 1 victory at Zürich, Madrid are looking to make it successive away wins in the competition. Last season they won two away group games, at FC BATE Borisov and FC Zenit St. Petersburg, but lost at Juventus.

Team ties
• Several players are facing their former team. Kaká spent six seasons at Milan before his summer move to the Santiago Bernabéu while Clarence Seedorf won this trophy with Madrid in 1998. Klaas Jan Huntelaar had a seven-month spell with Madrid from December 2008.

• Xabi Alonso scored at the second attempt from the penalty spot for Liverpool FC against Milan to make it 3-3 in the 2005 final in Istanbul.

• During the penalty shoot-out in that same game, Jerzy Dudek saved from Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko to help Liverpool earn the continental crown for the fifth time.

• While at Juventus, Filippo Inzaghi lost the 1998 final to Madrid in Amsterdam but scored both Milan goals in their 2-1 victory against Liverpool in the 2007 showpiece in Athens. Alonso and substitute Álvaro Arbeloa were in the opposing side that day with Dudek on the bench.

• Ronaldinho spent five years with Madrid's arch-rivals FC Barcelona, winning the UEFA Champions League in 2006.

• Gianluca Zambrotta spent two years at Barça between 2006 and 2008, while Christian Abbiati spent 2007/08 on loan with Club Atlético de Madrid.

• Leonardo was on the bench when Milan visited Madrid in the 2002/03 second group stage.

• Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Manchester United FC in their 2006/07 semi-final first leg 3-2 win against Milan, before the Italian side won the return 3-0. He and Ruud van Nistelrooy also played for United against Milan in the first knockout round in 2004/05, which the Rossoneri won 2-0 on aggregate.

• Mathieu Flamini played for Arsenal FC in both legs of the 2005/06 first knockout round tie with Madrid and celebrated a 1-0 aggregate triumph.

• At UEFA EURO 2008™ a Spain team containing Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos defeated Italy, featuring Zambrotta and Massimo Ambrosini, on penalties in the quarter-finals. Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso were both suspended for the game.

• Italy also fielded Christian Panucci in that defeat. Panucci was a UEFA Champions League winner with Milan in 1994 and Madrid four years later. Fernando Redondo also featured for both teams and like Clarence Seedorf and Panucci, was crowned European champion with each.

• Fabio Capello had separate spells as coach of Milan and Madrid. The Italian led the Serie A side between 1991 and 1996 as well as in the 1997/98 campaign. He was in charge at the Santiago Bernabéu in 1996/97 and again in 2006/07.

• David Beckham spent four seasons with Madrid between 2003 and 2007 and played on loan for Milan last year.

• Brazilian internationals Thiago Silva (Milan) and Marcelo (Madrid) both joined their teams from Fluminense.