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You may be the most highly prized footballer in the world but that doesn't make you immune from injuries and AC Milan fans know that they will be missing Kaka from their line up in the Milan derby.
Inter Milan currently lead Serie A, and their great rivals by eight points, and will be the home team for the all important. Of course, as the away team it is not as if AC Milan will have far to travel to play the game but any advantage is seized upon in this situation and the roaring home crowd will be delighted to see the Brazilian missing out on the match.
Injury, Not Transfer Robs Milan of Kaka
Its not as if AC Milan have just the one player in their squad who is worth mentioning but considering the January that Kaka had, being hotly pursued by Manchester City who were rumoured to be paying £100m for the player.
If Milan had taken the money they could have brought in a number of replacements but Kaka is expected to be sidelined for a short period of time so he should be ready for action again by the time March comes around. Whether his club still have a realistic chance of winning the title when he regains full fitness remains to be seen.
A home win on Sunday night would extend the gap between the Milan clubs to 11 points which would present a huge mountain in the top flight of the Italian league.
The two clubs have already clashed in the league this season, AC stunning their neighbours with a winner from a Ronaldinho goal but an Inter victory would surely bring the title down to a two horse race.
Juventus are currently in second place, seven points behind Inter and if they have any serious ambitions about winning the title, they too will be cheering on AC Milan.
Juventus welcome Sampdoria to Turin in an afternoon kick off on Sunday so they will be hoping to have narrowed the gap on the leaders to four points which will hopefully increase the pressure on Inter.
Mourinho's Former Club Struggle Without Him
And the pressure has been on Inter for much of the season as the Italian media and fans haven't taken to Jose Mourinho the same way the English press did.
Mourinho's stock in England has grown this past week without even doing anything as Big Phil Scolari became the latest Chelsea manager to be considered a failure for not living up to the standards the Special One set for the club.
Some Chelsea fans are clamouring for the Portuguese boss to come back but with the title run-in about to begin and a Champions League clash against former for Alex Ferguson on the way, Jose will be going nowhere anytime soon.
Europe Remains Playground for Milan Clubs
Both of the Milan clubs remain in the hunt for European trophies although neither are as confident as they have been in the past. AC Milan have experienced Champions League finals in the recent seasons with a better than average ratio but their inclusion in this seasons Uefa Cup has definitely hit the fans and players hard.
They are one of the favourites for the tournament and you get the impression the biggest barrier to AC Milan winning the Uefa Cup would be the attitude shown by the players.
There is little doubt that some of the star names at the club will consider the Uefa Cup to be a sideshow not worthy of the name of the Champions League but it was their inept showing last year which has placed the club into the lesser of the two European trophies so they owe their fans a strong level of performance. Inter are in the Champions League but face the reigning holders Manchester United in a match which promises more excitement between the two managers than it may do on the park.
Inter Hit Form and 3 Goals
Inter warmed up for this weekends clash by triumphing 3-0 away from home at Lecce with goals from Ibrahimovic, Figo and Stankovic giving the leaders a boost before their big match.
At times, Inter Milan have played some stunning football and a three goal triumph away from home should never be dismissed easily, regardless of who the opponents were. By way of contrast, AC Milan were held to a 1-1 draw with Reggina. The away side took the lead by half time and Milan were reliant on Kaka scoring a penalty for their equaliser.
It was not long after this equalising goal that the Brazilian took a knock that forced him to miss the rest of the game and the forthcoming derby. Milan were unable to snatch a winner in the final ten minutes in Kaka's absence and the lack of creativity when he is not on the pitch will be a concern, especially for the derby match.
Without Kaka, AC Milan Have Who For Victory?
Unsurprisingly they do have a number of players but in recent weeks the headlines have been grabbed by a player they brought in on loan from an American club. This sort of deal would rarely get fans excited but when the player is David Beckham, the reason for the commotion is all too clear.
In all fairness to Beckham, he has had an immediate impact on the team by playing regularly and scoring and assisting goals. There were many who considered this move to be a money making exercise for Milan and a training regime for the English star but both parties are reaping the benefits at the moment. Talks are ongoing about extending Beckham's stay in Milan although these have stalled at the moment. A strong showing on Sunday evening in the derby may force the moneymen at Milan to pay the asking fee of the MLS and LA Galaxy or they may see another revolt from their fans.
With only Uefa Cup football to cheer them away from Serie A, its been another strange year for fans of the Rossoneri but retaining Kaka and possibly adding Beckham on a contract for next season may give the club something to hope for next season.
Doing the double over Inter Milan would give them even further cause for celebration and hope that the club is heading in the right direction once again.
by Andrew Reilly
for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk
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Dear Greg,
I've been a member since July 2003, maybe one of the first to join the Silver Circle.
2004 was a good year but I really enjoyed the long run we had in, I think, July 2005. It was exhilarating! 2006-2007 was not as exciting although still quite profitable and so far 2007-2008 looks quite good. I'm wondering if we're going to hit a long one again soon. Anyway, it's been a pleasure as always with your service, Greg. Armstrong and you are one of the few people I trust on the internet. You have made my retirement so much more fun and financially happy!
Best Wishes, Trent Wrayford, Sidney
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