It is hard to get the better of Italy defender Alessandro Nesta at the best of times but when you train with the AC Milan centre-half every day, like Denmark striker Jon Dahl Tomasson, the task becomes doubly difficult.
The pair, key members of Milan’s scudetto-winning team, will meet in Monday’s Group C opener in Guimaraes amd although Nesta knows Tomasson’s moves inside out the Italian says that just means he needs to be at his very best.
“I know him really well but the flip side is that he knows me too,” said Nesta, “I cannot say which one of us will get the most advantage out of this situation.
“Jon is a very dangerous player. He moves up and down the pitch a lot and for a defender he is very difficult to deal with and it is tiring to have to follow him around,” said Nesta.
“He also has a great sense for goals – he is always first on to the loose ball, particular rebounds inside the area. We will need to cocentrate 100 per cent because he will punish us for every mistake,” said the central defender.
Tomasson arrived in Milan on a free transfer from Feyenoord two years ago having re-established his reputation with the Dutch club following a disappointing season in England’s Premier League with Newcastle United.
— Reuters