BATE Borisov-Milan: Moving on?

This match sees Milan on the verge of progressing to the Round of 16, and it also sees BATE on the verge of being eliminated. So, depending on the corresponding results of the Plzen-Barcelona match, while Milan could be moving on with a win, BATE could be moving on out of the tournament with a loss. It’s a battle of who wants it most, Milan with their eyes firmly fixed on Champions League glory this year, and BATE desperate for survival.

Tuesday’s match will be Milan’s 4th game in 10 days. Ouch. Meanwhile, during that same 10 days, BATE have played only twice. So we will be traveling to Belarus and will also be weary. But in a way, maybe it will actually work to our advantage, as our form has been steadily increasing since our game with Palermo just before our home fixture with BATE two weeks ago. And that could mean that rather than be worn out, we are actually coming into the match in form.

Milan cannot afford to be distracted by the land of the tractors. Not even this tractor:

Another distraction that will hopefully become an inspiration is the uncertainty of the health of Cassano. His symptoms upon returning from the Roma match were largely neurological, and as of this writing, he has yet to be released from the hospital despite feeling better. I would seriously doubt he will be available to play, in fact, I would hope he would be rested just as a precaution.

I believe Seedorf is also back with the squad, so he may be thrown into the mix, too. But I would expect Allegri to pair Ibra up with Robinho in the front, maybe Boateng in the hole, Nocerino, Aquilani, and either Ambrosini or van Bommel to round out the midfield. In the back, I would expect a full force Abate, Nesta, Silva, and Taiwo lineup, especially since the latter plays best in the Champions League. This weekend’s cards will not affect Champions League match, so I would definitely expect Allegri to use Nocerino and Boateng while he can.

BATE will likely start a lineup similar to this: Shcherbakov; Volodko, Radzkov, Likhtarovich, Bordachev; Kurlovich, Rudik, Kontsevoy, Bressan; Gordeychuk, Skavysh. Considering that BATE lost 2-0 at the San Siro two weeks ago and also that BATE manager Viktor Goncharenko and his assistant coaches Aleksandr Fedorovich and Aleksei Baga were on the team that also lost to Milan in the 2001/02 UEFA Cup meeting of our two teams, you have to know they will be very anxious to pull off an upset.

While it seems obvious that Milan should win this one, I never underestimate an opponent, especially while playing away. Winning both fixtures in this matchup will only increase our confidence and of course help us to qualify for the Round of 16. And hopefully, at the end of 90 minutes, we won’t have to wait for our last 2 matches of the Group Stages. Hopefully, we’ll know that we are moving on.

BATE vs. Milan will be played Tuesday, November 1st, at 18:00 CET. In the U.S. remember that that with the differences in Daylight Savings Time, that will be at 1:00pm Eastern. It is also not being shown live in the U.S. so be sure to look for streams in advance!

Happy Halloween!

This post dedicated to our favorite Patron Pirate. He may be infamous for raping and pillaging, but it’s Milan that is his treasure, and we should be grateful for all that he’s done for our club.

Grazie Cap’n Silvio!