上赛季欧洲冠军联赛半决赛中，意大利AC米兰虽然客场1：3输给了希丁克执教的荷兰埃茵霍温队，但依靠客场进球仍然将对手淘汰出局，进入了最后的决赛。冤家路窄，本赛季两队在欧洲冠军联赛E组比赛中再度相遇，此番荷兰人将力争在当地时间10月18日进行的首回合客场比赛中掀翻欧洲亚军米兰队。

    据路透社10月18日报道，目前在E组，米兰两战积4分，排名榜首，埃茵霍温和费内巴切各积3分。此番主场做战，米兰人不容有任何闪失，否则前途难料。从状态上看，米兰队近期有所回升。在上周日进行的意甲联赛中，米兰2：0战胜了卡利亚里队，7战积16分，排名上升到了联赛次席，比“领头羊”尤文图斯队落后5分。

    虽然，米兰本赛季进入状态较慢，但近段时期表现稳定，只是从绝对实力上看比从前略有下降。正如主教练安切罗蒂在周日获胜后所承认的那样，现在的米兰队比起2003年夺得欧洲冠军联赛和2004年意甲联赛冠军奖杯的那支米兰队，在阵容上还要逊色一些。“我们的速度太慢，”安切洛蒂在接受当地媒体采访时表示：“这是我们自己制造的问题。”虽然在联赛中战胜了卡利亚里队，但在比赛中，缺少了疗伤休战的内斯塔的米兰后防线，在卡利亚里队的快速轮番冲击下，显得狼狈不堪。马尔蒂尼和科斯塔库塔在比赛中更多地是疲于奔命。然而，锋线上舍普琴科依然状态神勇，在比赛中乌克兰“核弹头”为米兰队打进了第2个锁定胜局的进球。欧洲足球先生舍普琴科本赛季已经在联赛中打进了5个球，在欧洲冠军联赛中也有球进帐。在面对埃茵霍温队的比赛中，舍普琴科近期神勇的状态将给主教练安切洛蒂以更大的信心。

    在荷兰方面，埃茵霍温上周末也在联赛中取得了胜利。在3：0大胜阿克马亚队后，他们在荷兰联赛中的排名已经上升到了第2名，仅次于费耶诺德队。在周末联赛中独中两员的埃茵霍温队队长科库将在对阵米兰队的冠军联赛中首发出场。由于队中多名主力受伤或停赛，主教练西丁克在18日同米兰队的小组比赛中只能以替补阵容出战。

    PSV Eindhoven seek to exact some revenge for one of their most painful defeats when they visit AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday.

    Last season Milan needed a stoppage-time strike by Massimo Ambrosini to scrape past PSV in the semi-finals on the away goals rule despite a 3-1 defeat in the Netherlands.

    On current form another desperately tight encounter is in store in closely contested Group E.

    Milan currently hold top spot, with four points from two games, but with PSV and Fenerbahce breathing down their necks on three points apiece, a slip-up at the San Siro could prove costly in the push for a place in the knockout stage.

    Milan's 2-0 win over Cagliari on Sunday was their fourth Serie A victory in a row and lifted them to second place in the division on 16 points from seven games, five points behind leaders Juventus.

    Having made a shaky start to the season, Milan are belatedly turning in consistent performances, even if the quality is slightly lower than usual.

    As their coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted after Sunday's win, the team is still some way shy of the form that propelled them to the 2003 Champions League title and the Serie A championship in 2004.

    "We were too slow. We created our own problems," he was quoted as saying in La Gazzetta dello Sport.

    The defence, shorn of Alessandro Nesta who last week underwent surgery on his hand, was a little sluggish, with Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta backpedalling furiously to cope with Cagliari's speed on the break.

    Ancelotti will have taken heart, however, from another good performance by striker Andriy Shevchenko, who scored the second of Milan's goals and put another chance against the post.

    The European Footballer of the Year continues to score with regularly and has racked up five goals in Serie A so far this season as well as hitting the target in both of Milan's opening Champions League fixtures.

    PSV also enjoyed a winning weekend. Their 3-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar moved them into second place in the Dutch first division, two points behind Feyenoord.

    Skipper Philip Cocu was twice on target and is expected to start again against Milan, though PSV coach Guus Hiddink will have to make do without a string of first-team regulars.

    John de Jong, Mika Vayrynen and Theo Lucius are all on the casualty list, while striker Jefferson Farfan is still doubtful with a bruised heel he sustained during Peru's World Cup qualifier last week.

    Hiddink will also have to do without striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who is suspended following his dismissal against Fenerbahce.