Squads penpix from Reuters

Liverpool penpix ahead of the Champions League final against AC Milan:

GOALKEEPERS

25-JOSE REINA, 24. Aside from the odd wobble, the Spaniard has been on excellent form this season, notably booking his side
into the Champions League final with his penalty shoot-out saves against Chelsea in the semis at Anfield. He will follow in his
father's footsteps on Wednesday -- with dad Miguel having played in goal in the 1974 European Cup final for Atletico Madrid.

1-JERZY DUDEK, 34. About to leave the club after having to spend two years as second-choice keeper, Dudek assured his place
in Liverpool history with the Pole's 'rubber legs' saves in their penalty shoot-out triumph in the 2005 Champions League
final against AC Milan in Istanbul.

DEFENDERS

3-STEVE FINNAN, 21. Solid, hard-working and low-profile -- just how Benitez likes his players -- the young Irishman is the
undisputed first-choice at right back. Likes to get forward and can get some very probing crosses into the box.

5-DANIEL AGGER, 22. Has established himself this season as Benitez's first-choice centre half pairing with Carragher. The
Dane's defensive skills are complemented by an attacking streak and an eye for goal, witnessed in his strike against Chelsea in
the decisive semi-final second leg at Anfield.

23-JAMIE CARRAGHER, 29. Now recognised as one of the country's best defenders, 'Carra' is supremely reliable in his
play and has a Merseysider's devotion to the cause. Club and England coaches also value his ability to switch from the centre
to left or right back if needed.

4-SAMI HYYPIA, 33. Once the rock of Liverpool's defence, the Finn who helped them win a trophy treble in 2001 and the 2005
final is often now a deluxe reserve. Not the quickest on the park, but his experience could be priceless if there is another
nerve-shredding ending like two years ago.

6-JOHN ARNE RIISE, 26. One of the very best left-backs in English football, Riise's speciality is supporting the attack,
in particular with his devastating shot from distance. The Norwegian has been a regular since joining in 2001 from Monaco.

MIDFIELDERS

8-STEVEN GERRARD, 26. Liverpool's talismanic captain is one of the game's great all-round midfielders, combining superb
passing, tenacious tackling and a great eye for goal. Add the fact he is playing for his hometown club, despite Chelsea's
advances, and it makes a formidable package. Only disappointment for some is that he often has to play on the right side, instead
of his preferred central role in the current system.

20-JAVIER MASCHERANO, 22. Has had a barely believable resurrection from unhappy bit-part player at West Ham, after a
high-profile arrival with fellow Argentine Carlos Tevez last August, to a Champions League finalist with the Reds. Has
blossomed under Spanish orders from Benitez into a fine holding midfielder, paired with industrious Spaniard Xabi Alonso.

14-XABI ALONSO, 25. A key Benitez signing, Alonso keeps the Liverpool midfield ticking over with his neat passing and
constant running. Only four goals this season suggests there is room for improvement, but his partnership with Mascherano has
certainly made Liverpool a very hard side to break down.

32-BOUDEWIJN ZENDEN,30. The Dutchman has taken over the left-side in the injury absence of Harry Kewell. Though Benitez
rates him and he converted his penalty in the shootout with Chelsea, Zenden still has a few sceptics on Merseyside.

16-JERMAINE PENNANT, 24. Off-loaded by Arsenal after a series of loans, Pennant has found a good home at Anfield, where
Benitez appreciates the width he provides on the right and the crosses he gets in for the likes of Crouch and Kuyt.

7-HARRY KEWELL, 28. The injury-prone Australian has missed most of the season after suffering septic arthritis, a bacterial
infection in the joints of his left foot. Would relish the chance to make up for the 2005 final, which he limped out of
after 22 minutes with his side being overrun by Milan and the whsitles of disgruntled Liverpool fans ringing in his ears.

FORWARDS

18-DIRK KUYT, 26. The Dutchman had made a good fist of his debut season, finishing as their top Premier League scorer with
12 goals and holding out the promise of more to come. Converted the final shootout penalty that booked Liverpool into the final.
Good finishing, but still to find an ideal partner up front.

15-PETER CROUCH, 26. The towering striker is Liverpool's top scorer in all competitions with 18 goals and, significantly for
Wednesday, seven of them in Europe. Knows he still has to fight for a place in the side, Crouch has good feet and a taste for
the acrobatic strike along with his obvious asset in the air.

17-CRAIG BELLAMY, 27. With bags of pace and a good first touch, the Welsh winger will be sent on in the latter stages if
Liverpool struggle to find a way past Milan's defence.

9-ROBBIE FOWLER, 32. Kopites everywhere are dreaming of the man they call "God" coming off the bench and scoring the winner
in his last game for the club he joined as an 11-year-old. The once prolific striker from Toxteth returned to the Reds in Jan.
2006 after an absence of more than four years.

Soccer-AC Milan squad penpix for Champions League final
Fri May 18, 2007 3:00AM BST
ROME, May 18 (Reuters) - Brief portraits of AC Milan players ahead of the Champions League final against Liverpool in Athens on May 23: 

GOALKEEPERS

1-DIDA, 33. No player divides Milan's fans like Dida. The Brazilian international was the hero of Milan's victory in the 2003 Champions League final, when he saved three penalties in their shoot-out win over Juventus. Since then, however, his increasingly erratic performances have damaged his popularity and many of the club's supporters now consider him a liability.

16-KELJKO KALAC, 34. Like Dida, Milan's reserve keeper has a tendency to spill easy balls. He has made two Champions League appearances for the club: first, in the scoreless away draw against Celtic, then in the 2-0 defeat to Lille at the San Siro in December - Milan's only home defeat in the competition this season.

DEFENDERS

44-MASSIMO ODDO, 30. One of six Milan players - along with Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Filippo Inzaghi and Alberto Gilardino -- who took part in Italy's World Cup-winning campaign last year, Oddo joined the club from Lazio in January to fill the right-back role vacated by Brazil veteran Cafu. He is an erratic crosser but a good tackler, as he proved by helping to shut down Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo in the semifinals.

13-ALESSANDRO NESTA, 31. Plagued by a groin injury during the first half of the season, Nesta is now back to his imperious best. Clinical in the tackle, strong in the air, and possessed of a deceptive turn of speed, the Rome-born defender is a quietly authoritative presence at the centre of Milan's back four.

3-PAOLO MALDINI, 38. If he recovers from a recurrent knee injury to take part in the final, the Milan captain will have appeared in eight European Cup and Champions League finals - a mark only reached by Real Madrid midfielder Francisco Gento. Maldini lacks the pace he once had, but remains effective due to his remarkable sense of positioning.

18-MAREK JANKULOVSKI, 30. The Czech international played in midfield for former club Udinese, but was transformed into a marauding wing-back when Milan bought him at the start of last season. His aggressive partnership with Oddo allowed Milan to dominate the flanks in the return leg of their semifinal against Manchester United.

4-KAKHA KALADZE, 29. Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti used to field Kaladze at left-back, but has recently moved him back into his preferred position in the centre of the defence as a substitute for Paolo Maldini. Like Jankulovski, the Georgian international has plenty of top-level experience and could start in Athens if Maldini's knee injury prevent him from taking part.

2-CAFU, 36. The former Brazil captain has lost his automatic starting place to Oddo, but remains one of Milan's hardest-working players. His huge international experience often prompts team coach Carlo Ancelotti to bring him on as a late substitue when Milan need to protect a lead.

MIDFIELDERS

8-GENNARO GATTUSO, 29. Milan's midfield mastiff is often portrayed as a purely destructive force - a player whose tireless running and tackling breaks down opponents' attacks and frees up space for his more skillful teammates. In the past few years, however, Gattuso has looked increasingly comfortable on the ball and he is now as capable of starting moves as ending them.

20-JOANN GOURCUFF, 20. Billed as Zinedine Zidane's heir apparent when he joined Milan last summer, the Frenchman has spent most of his first season in the shadow of his more illustrious midfield companions. Only used as a substitute for Clarence Seedorf.

21-ANDREA PIRLO, 28. When Milan last won the Champions League in 2003, Pirlo was the pivot around which their team turned. In Athens Liverpool are more likely to worry about Kaka, but if Liverpool give the Italian international time on the ball he will punish them with his combination of great vision and pinpoint passing. Pirlo is also Milan's most dangerous free-kick taker.

23-MASSIMO AMBROSINI, 29. Ambrosini used to spend most of his time on Milan's bench, but Ancelotti's decision to switch from a three to a four-man midfield with Kaka pushed up into attack has led to him getting more starts. Ambrosini is strong in the air, and has headed several match-winning goals from corners and free-kicks this season.

10-CLARENCE SEEDORF, 31. Previous Champions League titles with Ajax (1995), Real Madrid (1998) and Milan (2003) make Seedorf the only player to win the competition with three different clubs. The Dutchman is approaching the match against Liverpool in his best form of the season, having scored in the quarter-final againt Bayern Munich and in the last four against Manchester United.

22-KAKA, 25. The Brazilian international has been the outstanding player in this season's Champions League and is the competition's top scorer with ten goals. In Serie A, he plays in the hole behind the strikers. In Europe, Ancelotti pushes him forward into a role similar to the one Shevchenko used to fulfil - to use his devastating acceleration and speed to tear through opposition defences.

FORWARDS

9-FILIPPO INZAGHI, 33. Age and a succession of knee injuries have taken their toll on Inzaghi, who has been pushed down the pecking-order by Gilardino. Often mocked for his apparent lack of skill, and accused of being a diver, Inzaghi's phenomenal positional sense remains unimpaired as he showed when he broke Bayern Munich's offside trap to score in the second leg of their quarter-final.

11-ALBERTO GILARDINO, 24. Milan's top scorer in Serie A is the opposite of Inzaghi - a big, muscular centreforward who likes to take on defenders, can score off either foot and is strong in the air. Gilardino has yet to reproduce his domestic form in Europe this season and could feel he has something to prove in Athens.

7-RICARDO OLIVEIRA, 27. The Brazilian who was brought in to replace Andriy Shevchenko at the start of the season has been a disappointment so far, scoring just three times in 25 Serie A matches, and failing to find the net in six Champions League appearances. He is unlikely to feature in the match unless Gilardino or Inzaghi get injured.

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