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Milanese might under threat

April 04, 2006 10:10 IST
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Underdogs Olympique Lyon and Villarreal will attempt to overturn Milanese might on Tuesday and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Lyon travel to face AC Milan at the San Siro after a 0-0 draw in last week's quarter-final first leg, while Villarreal play host to Inter after losing 2-1 in the Lombard capital.

Lyon, set fair for a record fifth French title, know an away goal could be decisive. That goal could come from talismanic Brazil midfielder Juninho who missed the first leg at home through suspension.

"Our opponents will be well aware of him. In tight games, he is capable of breaking the deadlock. He is certainly an additional weapon," team mate Florent Malouda said.

Milan, six-times champions and aiming for their third final in four years, will be spurred by the memory of their heart-breaking defeat on penalties by Liverpool last season and the fact they are all but out of the race for Italian honours.

Up front, Ukraine's Andriy Shevchenko and Italy striker Filippo Inzaghi will be fresh for action after being spared in Milan's 1-0 weekend defeat by Lecce.

Inter take their lead and winger Luis Figo to Villarreal.

The Portuguese midfielder has been training separately after injury but Inter said on Monday he would travel to Spain where his wealth of experience at Barcelona and Real Madrid will be invaluable to Roberto Mancini's side.

With an away goal already in the bank, Villarreal can go through with a 1-0 scoreline.

They have a fine record at home, having lost only one of 17 European home games and with clean sheets in 13. This is their first Champions League campaign, however, and Inter's experience could tell.

The Spaniards, who beat Zaragoza 1-0 at the weekend, will be relying on Uruguay's Diego Forlan and former AC Milan forward Jose Mari or Mexico's Guillermo Franco to lead the attack.

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Source: REUTERS
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