Preview: AC Milan looks to rescue tarnished reputation against Sao Paulo
Milan fell behind to five quick goals against Manchester City in the Audi Cup semifinals in the blink of an eye. They managed to save face thanks to a double from Stephan El Shaarawy and a goal from Andrea Petagna. They have the chance to pick up a win against a Sao Paulo side which set up to do nothing but defend against European champions Bayern München in the first round.
Sao Paulo had very few chances at the Allianz Arena. They were dealt a blow however as early as the 13th minute as an injury to Paulo Miranda saw him subbed off for Edson Silva. Also, Rogerio Ceni’s late penalty was saved by Manuel Neuer. Sao Paulo has players who can trouble Milan including former Shaktar star Jadson.
AC Milan has their UEFA Champions League playoffs to look forward to. They have some work to do before heading into those pair of matches as City showed. The Milan back four is seemingly shaky. Milan is going through a transition of course. The old guard is no longer with the team. However, better performances were expected from many Milan players, including Kevin-Prince Boateng.
Sao Paulo will perhaps not be as defensive against Milan as they were against Bayern, especially if they watched City take Milan apart. City ran circles around a Milan side which ranked as the third best in Italy last season for the first half an hour. Massimiliano Allegri has to improve his team quickly going into next season based on the performance against Manchester City.
Where to watch the match- live stream, start time, TV channels
Watch AC Milan vs. Sao Paulo live on Thursday, August 1, 2013:
In the UK at 17:15 BST on ESPN UK/HD
In the USA at 12:15 ET on ESPN 2, ESPN 3 and ESPN Deportes
In addition, Fox Sports HD will be bringing the game to many other parts of the world. Viewers in Australia can watch the match on Setanta Sports Australia. You can view all the TV listings on this page.
