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From Istanbul to Athens: Ancelotti and his ups and downs against Liverpool

From Istanbul to Athens: Ancelotti and his ups and downs against Liverpool

  • Nikita Fesyukov
Tonight at the Anfield Road, Napoli will face off against Liverpool in the decisive Champions League matchup that could guarantee the Italians qualification to the last 16 of the competition at the expense of last season's finalist. However, the Azzurri will have to be very careful against a dangerous team with which Carlo Ancelotti has a long and significant history full of important clashes.

Carlo Ancelotti has faced Liverpool 9 times throughout his career, out of which 4 matches were in the Premier League while at the helm of Chelsea and the rest in the Champions League. He has a record of 6 wins and 3 defeats, with two of the losses being from his time and Chelsea.

Other than that, the legendary coach beat Liverpool twice with Real Madrid and once with Napoli two months ago at the San Paolo. But the two most important matches against the Reds, perhaps even the most important matches of his career, came during his time at AC Milan in the Champions League final.

In May 2005, Liverpool defeated Ancelotti's great AC Milan team in the arguably most memorable Champions League final in Istanbul, when the Rossoneri took a 3-0 lead at half-time but ended up losing in the penalty shootout in what was an incredible shock and heartbreaking moment for most players, including Paolo Maldini or Gennaro Gattuso.

However, the heartbreaking moment was compensated two years later in Athens. The two teams faced off once again in the biggest match of the season, as Pippo Inzaghi guided Milan to a 2-1 win with a brace at the Olympic Stadium to take revenge.

Ancelotti has a positive record against Liverpool, though in the Champions League final it is currently 1-1 between him and his opponent for tonight. The clash at Anfield can definitely not be compared to a final, but it might have the feeling of a final considering the importance of the match in an incredibly tough and long group stage phase.