This
match will be interesting. Two teams, both of whom wear red and black, but from
very different backgrounds. Milan are in this Playoff Round because of a fall
from grace, whereas KF Shkëndija have worked very hard to ensure they are here.
One team has glory, money, and a major European city to claim as home. The
other team comes from a city whose population could almost completely fit in
our stadium. But regardless of where they come from or how they got here, in 90
minutes, anything could happen. Football doesn’t care what language you speak
or how many people live in your city. It’s a battle from start to finish. And
this time, it’s the battle of the red and black.
 |
| Looks like someone saw that ridiculous Shkëndija video... |
I normally
write about the opposition, but honestly, there are no words to describe this
video. It says more than I ever could about the team:
The
expression on the faces of the Shkëndija manager and captain in this video
tell you everything you need to know: They are hungry. They want what we have,
and denying us entry into the Europa League group stage would be icing on the
cake. Also, poor Filippo Galli needs to take the plunge and visit Paletta’s
barber.
Montella
has got to step very carefully here. Two legs to get this match right, but only
three days until the league kicks off. He’s got to look at balance, players
moving in and out at the end of the transfer window, and fighting for
consistency. That has been elusive thus far. In our first Europa League home
match, they had the fire of 65,000 fans behind them at the San Siro. This time,
only about 29,000 tickets have been sold. Of course, one catalyst could be our
new captain’s home debut:
Non vedo l’ora che sia domani sera la mia 1a gara ufficiale / Can’t wait for tomorrow, 1st official match #HungrierThanEver #WeAreATeam #UEL pic.twitter.com/a0AaftgMNw— Leonardo Bonucci (@bonucci_leo19) August 16, 2017
At least
we are going into this battle with a true captain, someone who can actually both play well at his position and lead. We’ve been missing both of those qualities for
so long. For anyone dismissing Shkëndija, don’t hold their “smacktalk” video
against them. I am told their football is much, much better. But they have
nothing to lose and everything to gain, which gives them an advantage. So will
Milan take their advantages and give the home fans a convincing performance in
this leg? I hope so. Shkëndija have only been wearing the red and black since
1979. But Milan’s red and black heritage dates back to 1899. Let’s hope our
players remember that history and forge a new path in the battle of the red and
black
This post inspired
by the music of INXS’ “Devil Inside”
Europa League
Playoff Round
AC Milan vs. KF
Shkëndija
Thursday, August 17
• 20:45 CEST (2:45pm EDT)
This match is NOT
being shown LIVE in the U.S.