Milan duel for the double

By Ben Lyttleton

Holders AC Milan face a difficult tie against RC Deportivo La Coruña in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, not least because the Spanish side beat Juventus FC in both legs of their first knockout round match.

Italian challenge
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti made it clear he was glad to have avoided Real Madrid CF and Arsenal FC after the draw but did not want his side to be the only Italian representatives in the last eight. "I was hoping that Juventus would qualify too," he said of his former side. "First of all for Italian football but also because if we are both in the Champions League, then they would be more tired in Serie A as well." Ancelotti need not have worried: last week Milan extended their lead at the top of Serie A with a 3-1 win against Juve at the Delle Alpi stadium.

'We can do it'
That form has boosted Milanese confidence before their home first leg against Deportivo. "To be among the best eight teams in Europe is a good record in itself, and the way we beat [AC] Sparta [Praha] 4-1 in the last game showed that we are an extraordinary group of players," forward Andriy Shevchenko told uefa.com. "Our confidence has grown thanks to last season's victory and our objective is to win the Champions League and repeat our success last season. We can do it."

Crucial goals
The scorer of the winning penalty in Milan's shoot-out success against Juventus in the Old Trafford final last season, Shevchenko has already scored three times in this season's Champions League. His first goal was the crucial winner away at AFC Ajax on Matchday 5, then he scored two in the win against Sparta. "I don't know why, but I do seem to have a special relationship with the Champions League," the striker said.

Dual aim
The Ukrainian admitted that the Champions League had cost Milan dear last season, saying: "We sacrificed Serie A to focus on our European campaign." However, this term Milan are on course for a domestic and European double. "In my heart, I hope we can win both," Shevchenko said. "I haven't won the league in my four years with Milan and I hope we can do it. Both competitions are priorities for us, as we always aim to win. It's true that we have not won the Scudetto for a long time, but the memories we have from last season's Champions League final are too strong to be forgotten."

Kaká factor
Milan are indebted to former São Paolo FC playmaker Kaká who has added an extra attacking dimension to the successful side of last season. "Kaká is extraordinary, but it is not a surprise. We followed him a lot in recent seasons and last summer we decided to buy him," explained the club's vice-president Adriano Galliani.

'Our extra arms'
Galliani also praised two other players for their performances this season. "Cafu and Giuseppe Pancaro are our extra arms," he said. "The two defenders have exceeded even my expectations and they have both been brilliant for us this season. Let's hope they continue their form against Deportivo."