Manchester United have never beaten AC Milan in the knockout stages of the European Cup, yet Sir Alex Ferguson is in an unusually confident mood ahead of their Champions League second round tie at the San Siro tomorrow.
The English club were defeated over two legs in each of their four encounters in the competition - in 1958, 1969, 2005 and 2007.
But, the United manager thinks Milan are a different proposition since the departure of Kaka.
The Brazilian moved to Real Madrid last summer, joining Cristiano Ronaldo, the former United forward, at the Bernabeu. United lost 3-0 in their last contest with the Rossoneri at the San Siro as Kaka inspired the hosts to a semi-final win in 2007 and Ferguson is happy not to be facing the Brazil playmaker.
"It's a good time for us to be going to Milan," said Ferguson
"They played this weekend [beating Udinese 3-2 on Friday night], they've lost Kaka and have a few injuries, whereas we did not play this weekend and we have had a good rest."
Leonardo's side have been forced to adapt tactically after Kaka's move to Spain, according to Ferguson. He said: "They have changed since they lost Kaka.
"They used Kaka at the head of a diamond and two front players but they have changed that and gone 4-3-3 with two wide players and three central midfield players.
"You have to recognise they are not short of skill and experience. Ronaldinho, Pato all these players, but equally we have players who can win the match too. After the experience in the San Siro three years ago, where they dominated the game, I know that won't happen again."
Pato is outlined by Ferguson as the biggest threat to United in the first-leg contest, which may see David Beckham face his old club.
"It's Pato they are desperate to get back in," said Ferguson. "If he's not back they'll play David wide right. We know all about David, he's a great crosser of the ball so we will have to be alive to that."
Ferguson, whose side have won four of their last five games, scoring 16 goals, is confident United can cope with the absence of Ryan Giggs, who suffered a broken arm against Aston Villa last Wednesday.
"My players are used to big occasions and I think the good thing for us now is that we have hit form at just the right time," added the United manager.
* With agencies
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Cricket World Cup League 2
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Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
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Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
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Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
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Rating: 3/5
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Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Always check the weather forecast before setting off
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Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
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