Rome: AC Milan will be crowned Italian champions on Sunday if they beat Bologna and Inter fail to win at Cesena and coach Massimiliano Allegri has no doubt the club`s transfer strategy is behind their impending success.
Milan, seeking their first title since the 2003/04 season, are eight points clear of their city rivals, who have dominated the scudetto for the past five seasons. With four matches left they are also nine ahead of Napoli.
Much of the praise for the club`s success this campaign has been heaped on new coach Allegri, who has handled his top players well and managed to give little away to Italy`s demanding media.
"I feel lucky to have arrived in a year when Milan made such a big investment," the 43-year-old ex-Cagliari coach told the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.
"The club signed important players both in August and January, which has left its mark. Don`t forget Inter were big favourites at the start of the season.
"I`d love to be part of a new era here. We have a strong squad and I`m sure the club will continue to build. Next season the Champions League will be our main goal."Zlatan Ibrahimovic`s arrival from Barcelona to partner another summer signing, Robinho, paid instant dividends. The mid-season signing of Antonio Cassano and the return of Pato from injury have made sure goals have continued to flow freely.
Robinho scored the winner last Saturday at Brescia and Milan are looking for their fifth consecutive win when they host Bologna on Sunday.
Ibrahimovic will miss the game due to suspension, as does Mark van Bommel, while midfielders Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo are back in contention.After back-to-back defeats, third-placed Napoli host Genoa on Saturday while fourth-placed Lazio, a point above Udinese and four clear of rivals Roma, face seventh-placed Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday in the battle for next season`s European spots.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.