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Inzaghi plots his revenge on United
Paolo Menicucci Milan

Milan beat Torino 1-0 at the weekend to move up to third in Serie A but most of the talk afterwards was of a 33-year-old striker who did not even make it on to the pitch. Filippo Inzaghi was rested on Saturday so he could continue his recovery from injury and be fit for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final return leg against Manchester United.

And how Milan need him. Alberto Gilardino has been poor in Europe, Ronaldo is cup-tied and Ricardo Oliveira has failed to settle in Italy. "Gilardino has scored only once in the Champions League so far," said the Milan coach, Carlo Ancelotti. "There is more pressure in the Champions League than in the league and Gilardino is not experienced enough to manage it yet. Inzaghi is in good condition and there's a good chance he could play on Wednesday."

Inzaghi showed in the quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich that he is still a forward to fear. After the first game finished 2-2, he beat the German side's offside trap to pick up Clarence Seedorf's clever through ball and beat Oliver Kahn from close range. It was his fourth Champions League goal this season and set Milan on their way to a 2-0 win.

"I'm very happy to hear that everyone is counting on me for the game against Manchester," Inzaghi said yesterday. "I love to feel the trust of the people around me. It helps me to perform better. We will give it our all in this game. We are perfectly aware of our strengths and we will play in front of our fans, who will give us a tremendous support."

Gennaro Gattuso is expected to recover from the foot injury he sustained in the first leg, but Paolo Maldini is still a doubt. Inzaghi, meanwhile, have more incentive than most to eliminate United, having scored two early goals as Juventus lost 3-2 to Sir Alex Ferguson's side in that memorable 1999 second-leg semi-final in Turin. "We will have to play a great game, but we know we can beat them," he said. "These are the games you always want to play."