Milan 2 BATE 0

AC MILAN: Christian Abbiati, Alessandro Nesta (Philippe Mexes 84'), Daniele Bonera, Taye Taiwo, Ignazio Abate, Mark Van Bommel, Kevin-Prince Boateng (Urby Emmanuelson 78'), Alberto Aquilani, Antonio Nocerino, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Antonio Cassano (Robinho 62')

BATE: Alesandr Gutor, Marko Simic, Artyom Radkov, Maksim Bordachev, Aliaksandr Valadzko, Aleksandr Yurevich, Dzmitry Likhatrovich (Edgar Olekhnovich 66'), Dzmitry Baha, Artem Kontsevoy, Renan Bressan (Aleksandr Pavlov 77'), Mateja Kezman (Maksim Skavysh 72')

AC Milan remain unbeaten in the Champions League this season thanks to a routine win over BATE Borisov at the San Siro tonight.

They matched Barcelona's three-point haul against Plzen to stay level on points with the reigning champions in Group H, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kevin-Prince Boateng scoring their goals.

As a result, both they and Barca lead the way on seven points, meaning qualification to the knockout stage is close to being assured already, with BATE and Plzen well adrift on a point each.

Milan were rarely in trouble here, apart from a game-changing save from Christian Abbiati midway through the first half and, once Ibrahimovic got them going with his third of the season, they did not look back.

The impressive Alberto Aquilani was the first to go close for the Rossoneri, hitting the foot of Aleksandr Gutor's post after Antonio Cassano's lay-off.

The pressure continued as Ibrahimovic pulled an Antonio Nocerino cross out of the sky and volleyed over, before Mark van Bommel appealed for a penalty when he appeared to be brought down by Artem Radkov.

Aquilani then worked Gutor after a Taye Taiwo cross, before BATE wasted what would prove to be their best chance.

Abbiati played a goal-kick short to Van Bommel who, without looking, attempted to find Alessandro Nesta but instead set Renan Bressan free, only for Abbiati to make himself big and turn the ball behind.

Having got out of jail, Milan then took the lead after 33 minutes, Ibrahimovic slotting a finish into the bottom corner after the ball came loose when Cassano failed to get a clean contact on an Ignazio Abate cross.

BATE offered little by way of a response before the break, but had a half-chance to equalise after the restart when Mateja Kezman broke through, but he was well blocked off by Nesta. The wasteful Bressan lashed the loose ball over.

Abbiati then turned an Alexander Volodko grass-cutter around the post and Milan kicked on, with Ibrahimovic jinking his way to the edge of the box before drilling over.

The clinching goal came 20 minutes from time, Boateng taking a touch from 25 yards out and then hammering in via the underside of the bar.

Milan vs Catania Preview

Milan vs Catania Preview
Probable Line-Ups:

AC Milan (4-4-3) – Massimiliano Allegri
Christian Abbiati; Daniele Bonera, Alessandro Nesta, Thiago Silva, Luca Antonini; Kevin-Prince Boateng, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf; Robinho, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho.

Calcio Catania (4-3-1-2) – Marco Giampaolo
Mariano Andujar; Ciro Capuano, Nicolás Spolli, Matías Silvestre, Alessandro Potenza; Marco Biagianti, Ezequiel Carboni, Mariano Izco; Adrian Ricchiuti; Giuseppe Mascara; Maxi López.

The Rossoneri will be trying to stay on the right track and win this match. Once again, less than three points would be surprising and disappointing.

The Rossazzurri have a lot to give, as with players like Maxi Lopez, they would be able to surprise the “Milanticos” tomorrow night.

The last time Milan faced Catania it was 11/4/2010. Maxi López scored first (12′) for Catania and Adrian Ricchiuti doubled it (43′). In the second half, Milan bounced back with Marco Borriello’s brace (48′, 80′).

Milan have played only three official matches this season and already from the beginning, you could see the same old problems in defense and midfield.

Alessandro Nesta and Thiago Silva played only once together, but for Catania match, they are expected to play, with Gianluca Zambrotta or Daniele Bonera as right-back and Luca Antonini on the left.

With Massimo Ambrosini out injured, Kevin-Prince Boateng will take his place in midfield. The Ghanaian played a very good match in the midweek Champions League match against Auxerre, and he will start along with Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf, as Mathieu Flamini is still injured.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still not at his best but he’s already got off the mark with a brace against the French side on Wednesday, as Ronaldinho was the main player in the set-up of the goals. Alexandre Pato is out for three weeks and Robinho will replace him in 4-3-3.

Milan were not brilliant, but still effective against Auxerre. They remain Scudetto contenders despite last week’s 2-0 defeat to A.C. Cesena, and they will try to leapfrog Inter, who are one point ahead.

Star Man: Ibrahimovic is a great striker, but still, Ronaldinho is Milan’s star man for this match. When the Brazilian is good, the players around him are good. Ronie must try to play like he did against Lecce, and if he does that, victory is almost guaranteed.

Injury List: Ambrosini, Flamini and Pato are out. Sokratis Papastathopoulos is doubtful.

Catania have not yet reached the full potential, as this is only the start of the season. Coming off as clear underdogs, the Rossazzurri will still be playing for all the three points and will definitely not only defend.

Marco Giampaolo’s side beat Parma 2-1 last week, but it took two penalties, which were scored by Mirko Antenucci and Giuseppe Mascara. Giampaolo knows his men must improve.

“We suffered out there today,” Giampaolo declared after Parma match. “I am aware we need to improve in all areas. Our physical condition is still not what it should be and the sharpness is still yet to arrive. Nevertheless, the three points are very precious because they bring moral to the group. I am happy for the boys, but I don’t want to settle for this as we still need to step up a level.”

Catania are South America, as they have 11 players from Argentina and one from Brazil. They have always caused problems for Milan, as last season they were in 2-0 lead before Marco Borriello scored a brace.

Star Man: Maxi Lopez is still out of form. The Argentine was the hero of last season when he arrived in January and scored 11 goals in 17 matches. Despite not scoring yet this year, Lopez is Catania’s most important man. He’s expected to start alongside Giuseppe Mascara and Adrian Ricchiuti.

Injury List: Fabio Sciacca, Cristian Llama and Blazej Augustin are unavailable.

KEVIN-PRINCE BOATENG is a Milan player!

AC Milan have announced today on the signing of Boateng on loan from Genoa, as Milan will have an option to buy his entire card at the end of the season.

Profile :
Kevin-Prince Boateng (born 6 March 1987 in Berlin-Wedding) is a German-born Ghanaian international footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Milan, on loan from Genoa. Boateng is also a member of the Ghanaian national team, having earned six caps and scoring one goal. A player with dual German-Ghanaian nationality, Boateng is a central midfielder. He has been described as having "skill and pace complemented by advanced tactical awareness and a powerful physique."He started his career with the youth club Reinickendorfer Füchse, and then signed for Hertha BSC.

Hertha BSC
Boateng was with Hertha from 1 July 1994 when he was just seven years old to 31 July 2007. After emerging from the youth team set-up, he played for the reserves for two seasons. He was twice sent off, but he won a call-up to the first team squad in the 2005–06 season. He made his debut against Eintracht Frankfurt in the second round of the 2005–06 Bundesliga season, being brought on at the start of the second half. He impressed during that game, and was on the fringe of the first team from then on, despite barely being 18 years old. Boateng continued his rise, and started his first Bundesliga game in the 2–2 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 14th round of the Bundesliga season. Boateng identifies Pelé and Rivaldo as his role models, occasionally imitating the Brazilian duo with crowd-pleasing moments. His love of playing to the gallery draws applause, but has also attracted a fair share of criticism too. The Germany Under-19 coach, Uli Stielike, said about him, "At senior level, Kevin will need to wean himself off the world of fantasy football." He has since cut down on those antics. On 27 July 2006, Boateng was awarded the Fritz Walter Gold Medal in the Under-19 category. The medal is awarded on the basis of performances for the German Under-17, Under-18 and Under-19 national teams. A jury consisting of German Football Association (DFB), youth coaches, and members of the DFB Board, put Boateng top of the poll. Sport director Matthias Sammer and DFB coach Horst Hrubesch honored the talented player with the gold prize winner award and the 20,000 Euro prize-money at the Stadtbauraum, Gelsenkirchen in Germany on 16 August 2006. Boateng also won the Bronze Medal Award in the Under-18 category in 2005.

Tottenham Hotspur
Boateng signed for Tottenham Hotspur in July 2007, for a reported fee of £5.4million.He had his first start in the Premier League on 3 November against Middlesbrough, after which a series of further first team performances followed. With the departure of Tottenham manager Martin Jol, and the arrival of Juande Ramos and several high profile players, Boateng was pushed out of the team and into the reserves. Boateng made his appearance under new manager Harry Redknapp in Spurs' 4–2 home win against Liverpool in the fourth round of the League Cup and his first league appearance of the 2008–09 season in Tottenham's 1–0 home defeat to Everton in November 2008. Boateng was loaned out during the January transfer window of 2009 to Borussia Dortmund for the remainder of the season.Boateng returned to Tottenham at the end of the 2008–09 season. His last game for Spurs came as a substitute in the clubs 5–1 Football League Cup win over Doncaster Rovers in August 2009.

Portsmouth
Boateng joined Portsmouth for the 2009–10 season, signing a three-year deal with Pompey in August 2009 for a fee believed to be in the region of £4 million.He scored his first Portsmouth goal in a 3–2 loss against Bolton Wanderers. He continued his good form over the next few games, playing at the peak of Paul Hart's midfield diamond and winning Portsmouth's Player of the Month competition, in September. On 15 May 2010, Boateng was the subject of much controversy in the 1–0 defeat to Chelsea in the 2010 FA Cup Final. In the first half, he committed a foul on Chelsea player Michael Ballack, causing partially torn right ankle ligamentswhich ruled the German captain out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.Boateng then had a penalty saved by Petr Čech in the 54th minute of the game. Boateng later apologised for the tackle on Ballack saying, "I am sorry, it was not intentional. I just came in too late and made full contact."

Genoa CFC/AC Milan
Boateng transferred from Portsmouth FC to Genoa C.F.C. on 17 August 2010, and immediately joined another Italian club, Milan on loan. The details of the loan were not disclosed at the time.

International career
The midfielder played 41 times for the German Under-15, Under-16, Under-19 and Under-21 national teams, scoring eight goals. He hit the headlines on 20 July 2005 after netting a 47th minute goal from inside the centre circle over 45 yards in a 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship game against Greece, which Germany won 3–0.This impressive strike was voted Goal of the Month by viewers of a renowned German TV sports show.Boateng was offered the chance to play for Ghana in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but declined. The Hertha BSC manager, Dieter Hoeneß, praised Boateng for turning down Ghana and opting to play for Germany. On 27 March 2007, it was reported in the German media that Boateng had told German coach Joachim Löw that he would play for Ghana. On 9 September, Berliner Morgenpost reported that German National Under-21 Coach Dieter Eilts did not select Boateng anymore because of negative incidents that happened in the team's camp during the June 2007 Toulon Tournament in France. On 24 June 2009, he announced, due to the lack of future chances to earn a call up for his home country, that he will play for Ghana in the future and that he had hoped to be part of the Ghana national team squad at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. On 7 May 2010, Ghana's head coach Milovan Rajevac named Boateng in his 30-man squad in preparation for the World Cup in 2010.On 12 May 2010, FIFA finally approved Boateng's nationality switch application, clearing the way for him to play for Ghana at the World Cup.On 5 June 2010, Kevin-Prince, whose birthday coincides with Ghana's Independence Day, made his debut for Ghana in the 1–0 win over Latvia.He wears Prince as his shirt name, based on his first names Kevin-Prince. This could be to distinguish himself from his brother Jérôme Boateng and Ghana teammate Derek Boateng. He also chose to wear number 23, the same number he wore at Portsmouth. On 23 June 2010, at the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, Boateng played for Ghana against his brother Jérôme, who was representing Germany; the game ending 1–0 to Germany. This was the first time that two brothers have played for opposing teams in an international match and been on the pitch at the same time. Boateng scored his first goal in a 2–1 win over the United States in the Round of 16 in Rustenburg's Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace on 26 June.

The Ghanaian arrived in Milano on Monday night and started training alone in Milanello on Tuesday morning, as he will be available for the Trofeo Berlusconi on August 22.

Boateng, 23, would be a great addition to the midfield of Coach Massimiliano Allegri and the player combines good speed, great technique and shot from distance in his game.

The official statement on acmilan.com reads: “A.C. MILAN announce that the club has signed Kevin Prince Boateng on loan from Genoa Cfc. ”

He is the fourth reinforcements of the Rossoneri after Mario Yepes, Marco Amelia and Sokratis Papastathopoulos…