Stam to burst Barça bubble

By Adrian Clarke

Jaap Stam hopes AC Milan's current crop of superstars will upstage one of the club's all-time greats, Frank Rijkaard, when he brings his FC Barcelona side to the San Siro in the UEFA Champions League tonight.

Huge respect
Rijkaard, who won two European Champion Clubs' Cups and a brace of Italian titles during five glittering years at Milan from 1988-93, is sure to receive a warm welcome at the Guiseppe Meazza stadium, but Stam hopes that is all he gets. "I'm sure the fans will welcome back Frank in a great way because he was a wonderful player and his personality endeared him to the people of Milan, but obviously we hope that he leaves without any points," Stam told uefa.com.

Qualification counts
"This may be one of the most glamorous fixtures in the world, but to the players, the match is all about winning - and I mean that," he added. "Of course, it's a big game and we all like playing in big games, but qualification is the only thing that matters to both clubs. We are expected to make the last 16 and three points this week will allow the winners to put one foot into the next stage nice and early."

Ankle problem
Stam himself has been dogged by ankle trouble since playing against FC Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine a month ago, but is expected to return in time to face Rijkaard's men. And the giant defender knows he is likely to be tested against the in-form Spanish outfit.

Busy night
"Barcelona have many attacking options that will keep us busy on the night," he confessed. "The likes of Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Ronaldinho and Ludovic Giuly are all dangerous men to mark. But one player that stands out for me is Henrik Larsson because he is such a natural goalscorer.

Respected adversary
"I marked Larsson for my country at the [UEFA] European Championship and when he was at both Celtic [FC] and Feyenoord, and he's someone I rate highly," the 32-year-old continued. "People said he could never be a prolific goalscorer outside the Scottish league but I always thought that was nonsense. He's now doing well at the Camp Nou and that's proven beyond doubt that he can score anywhere."

Sensational start
With both sides boasting 100 per cent records in Group F, something will have to give when they meet. The Catalan team's confidence is sky high after their tremendous unbeaten start in the Primera División, where they have opened up a five-point gap over their nearest challengers Valencia CF.

Massive game
Milan have also begun their domestic campaign in style, with a 1-0 victory at Cagliari Calcio lifting them to second place in the Serie A table behind leaders Juventus FC. And Stam agrees that this particular match is set up to be one of the most exciting in this season's competition.

Big investment
"They have invested big money on players and appear to be passing it around extremely well as a team," he declared. "But when you have as many world-class footballers as Milan and Barcelona, it is natural that the ball will be passed around a lot. That's why I think it promises to be a wonderful game for the fans to watch on Wednesday."
 
Jaap Stam's personal website is at www.icons.com