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regular-article-logo Saturday, 05 October 2024

Champions League: After years of turmoil, Milan teams back in European elite

Victors will face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final

AP/PTI Milan Published 09.05.23, 04:45 AM
Lautaro Martinez runs during a training session on Monday.

Lautaro Martinez runs during a training session on Monday. Twitter

First came a return to the top of Italian football, now comes a chance to reach the Champions League final.

The Milan teams are back.

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But only one will get the opportunity to compete for European football’s top prize as AC Milan face city rivals Inter Milan in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

The victors will face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final.

Three-time European champions Inter were the last Italian club to lift the trophy, when they won an unprecedented treble of the league, Italian Cup and Champions League under Jose Mourinho in 2010. Milan won the last of their seven titles in 2007.

“To be part of a club like this is a dream,” Milan defender Fikayo Tomori said in an interview.

“To go and play in the San Siro, seeing it on the Champions League nights… it’s such an iconic stadium, such an iconic sort of club.

“The fact that two Italian teams are in the semi-finals... it’s obviously good for the league, good for Italian football. We’re obviously focusing on us. We want to be the best.” Milan host Inter on Wednesday before the return leg the following Tuesday. Both games will be at the San Siro as the teams share the stadium.

“We got two really exciting games coming up,” Tomori said. “Two games that we can really show ourselves, prove ourselves and you know, we can hopefully add to the history of this club.”

Since the Milan teams’ last triumphs in Europe there have been slumps on the field and turmoil off it, with both clubs changing ownership several times and coaches even more frequently.

However, after years of mediocrity, Inter and Milan ended lengthy waits for a Serie A title before finally making it back to the top level of European football.

Inter have had 14 different coaches since Mourinho left the Nerazzurri after winning the Champions League — an average of more than one a year.

Rafael Benítez replaced Mourinho but he lasted a matter of months before being fired. The rest of the list includes Claudio Ranieri, Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte.

Current Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti steered Milan to the Champion League trophy in 2007 — and also in 2003 — but he quit just two years later.

Since then there have been 10 different coaches in the Rossoneri hot seat. The incumbent Stefano Pioli was also in charge of Inter in the 2016-17 season.

Inter are now coached by Simone Inzaghi, who has emerged as somewhat of a cup specialist. He steered both previous club Lazio and Inter to the Italian Cup trophy and the Nerazzurri are back in the final of this year’s competition.

Inzaghi also led Inter to back-to-back Italian Super Cup titles to match the two he won with Lazio.

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