Quotes from the AC Milan camp before the final

Clarence Seedorf has dismissed Liverpool's Champions League final win of 2005 and promised that Milan will take their chance to avenge that match in next Wednesday's final.

The Dutch midfielder was part of the Milan team which surrendered a 3-0 lead against Liverpool two years ago in the space of six extraordinary second-half minutes before going on to lose in a penalty shoot-out. "It is certainly extra motivation to play Liverpool again," he said. "But I am convinced that if we replayed that game [2005] another 20 times, we would win it every time because even in that game, we showed we were far superior to them. This time we won't let it go to penalties. We will win it before.

"But I would settle for a repeat of two years ago. We dominated and they only played for six cursed minutes. We don't want revenge against them [Liverpool], we have enough motivation."

Seedorf's comments are likely to raise eyebrows on Merseyside and follow the claim by Milan's coach, Carlo Ancelotti, that Liverpool are technically the weakest of England's three Champions League semi-finalists. Milan dispatched Manchester United with an excellent display of passing football in one semi-final with an aggregate tally of eight goals compared to just two in the tie between Chelsea and Liverpool.

Seedorf was also blunt in his assessment of Jose Mourinho's team. "I think both teams [Liverpool and Chelsea] have a certain way of playing, especially Chelsea, so it's quite normal the way they play these matches," he said. "But in the end it is also important the result of these matches. I think Chelsea paid a little bit the price of playing a certain way against Liverpool because maybe if they would have done something more offensively in the second game they could have won the game and gone to the final.

"But they have their way of playing and that's the risk of the game. It's only the second time I have played against Liverpool but there will be no surprises because Liverpool is playing the same game, with the same players."

Seedorf, who has previously won the Champions League with Ajax and Real Madrid as well as Milan, is more complimentary about Steven Gerrard, whom he regards as England's best player. "He is one of the best midfielders in the world, he is a great athlete, he has shown to be a great leader," said Seedorf.

The Milan midfielder Massimo Ambrosini goes even further. "I think that Gerrard is the strongest midfielder around at this time," he said. "I find it stimulating to play against him in the final. It will be a reason of pride for me. He can play well forward and at the back, he has defensive and attacking qualities.

"It makes him a unique player both for his technique and his personality. The match in Istanbul left a heavy impact, it was difficult to forget, maybe impossible to forget. In the last final, Liverpool won without playing so well."

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