Allegri: AC Milan didn't deserve to lose but we can do better

AC Milan trainer Massimiliano Allegri believes his side were unfortunate to slump to defeat at the hands of Zenit St Petersburg in their last Champions League group match, although insists they need to better.

Portuguese star Danny scored the only goal of the game after 35 minutes, however, Malaga's positive record against Milan meant that the Rossoneri would finish second in Group C regardless of the outcomes of the matchday six fixtures.

And it means Milan have still to win at home in the Europe's premier competition this term but Allegri is adamant that record should have ended on Tuesday.

"We created a lot of chances and played with a good pace but unfortunately we conceded in what was their only chance in the game," Allegri was quoted as saying on Milan's official website.

"At the moment, the objective is Torino [in Serie A on Sunday], third place is still far away. Well be thinking of each game as it comes, in the Italian cup as well.

"Acerbi and Zapata played well and conceded very little to Zenit. We werent lacking in commitment, the team played well from a technical point of view even though the motivation cant have been at its highest.

"We didnt deserve to lose though, Im disappointed for the players but we have to start not conceding goals. Twenty goals in 21 games is too much, we have to do better in certain situations.

"Im happy with all the individual performances including Mesbah and Ambrosini, who both came back from injuries.

"Well see about Montolivo in the next few days, if theres any risk, he wont be on the pitch against Torino."

Juventus, Celtic and the Champions League teams who can clinch qualification to the last 16 on matchday six

Juventus, Benfica, Celtic, Galatasaray, CFR Cluj and holders Chelsea will all be aiming to secure themselves a place in the Champions League knockout stage on matchday six.

With 13 of the 16 available slots already filled by the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, only Groups E, G and H still have teams vying for a last 16 berth.

The Bianconeri travel to Donetsk knowing that a point against Shakhtar will see them through at the expense of Rafael Benitez's side, who of course lifted the trophy back in May.

Should Chelsea go out, they will be the first defending champions to be knocked out in the group stage since the European Cup was re-branded in 1992.

Elsewhere, SPL champions Celtic know that they must better Benfica's result to make it through to the next stage, but will be given heart by the fact the Portuguese side travel to Camp Nou to face the Blaugrana.

Fi nally, CFR Cluj must better Galatasaray's result, a difficult task given that they are playing Manchester United at Old Trafford, while the Turks play already-eliminated Sporting Braga.

Before we bring you the qualification scenarios and permutations, here are the Champions League tie-breaker criteria to separate teams that are level on points:

i.) Higher number of points won in the group games between the teams in question
ii.) Superior goal difference in the group games between the teams in question only
iii.) Higher number of goals scored in the group games between the teams in question only
iv.) Higher number of goals scored away from home in the group games between the teams in question only
v.) Superior goal difference from all group games
vi.) Higher number of goals scored from all group games

• Porto have qualified for the last 16, but can secure top spot if they avoid defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
• Paris Saint-Germain have qualified for the last 16 but will finish top of the group if they beat Porto.
• Dinamo Kiev have already secured themselves Europa League football.
• Dinamo Zagreb have been eliminated from European competition.

• Schalke have qualified for the last 16, but can secure top spot if they beat Montpellier.
• Arsenal have also qualified for the knockout phase, but can secure top spot if they beat Olympiakos and Schalke do not beat Montpellier.
• Olympiakos have secured Europa League footb all.
• Montpellier have been eliminated from European competition.

• Malaga have qualified for the last 16 as group winners.
• AC Milan have qualified in second place.
• Zenit and Anderlecht have an equal head-to-head record.
• Zenit will qualify for the Europa League if they better the Belgians' result, if both teams draw, or if the pair win but Zenit finish with a higher goal difference.
• Anderlecht will qualify if if they better Zenit's result, or finish with a better goal difference.

• Borussia Dortmund have qualified as group winners.
• Real Madrid have qualified in second place.
• Ajax can clinch Europa League football if they match or better Manchester City's result.
• Manchester City will clinch Europa League football if they win, and Ajax fail to pick up three points.

• Shakhtar have qualified, but can secure top spot if they get at least a point against Juventus.
• Juventus will secure a place in the knockout stages if they draw in Donetsk.
• Chelsea can only qualify for the last 16 if they beat Nordsjaelland and Juventus lose. If they do not do that they will play Europa League football.
• Nordsjaellandare out of European competition.

• Bayern Munich have qualified for the last 16, but can clinch top spot if they match or better Valencia's result.
• Valencia have also qualified and can take first place if they better Bayern's result.
• BATE have secured Europa League qualification.
• Lille have been eliminated from European competition.

• Barcelona have qualified as group winners.
• Benfica will qualify if they match or better Celtic's result.
• Celtic will advance should they better Benfica's result.
• Spartak Moscow have been eliminated from European competition.

• Manchester United have qualified as group winners.
• Galatasaraywill qualify for the last 16 if they match or better CFR Cluj's result.
• CFR Cluj will make the last 16 if they better Galatasaray's result.
• Sporting Braga have been eliminated from European competition.

'Schalke capable of reaching Champions League semi-finals' - Kuranyi

EXCLUSIVE
By Hassan Talib Haji

Former Schalke striker Kevin Kuranyi is confident that Huub Stevens' side are capable of repeating their run to the 2010-11 Champions League semi-finals this term.

The Konigsblauen sealed qualification from the group stage on matchday 5 with a 1-0 win over Olympiakos, and the 30-year-old has lauded their squad and coaching.

"They have got through the group stage very well. And anything is possible in the knock-out stage," he told Goal.com.

"I think they can follow the same path as they did in 2011. I think that the team is set up really well. They have a great mixture of experience and young players.

"They also have Huub Stevens, a very good trainer. So, Schalke are a strong team."

The current edition of the Champions League has seen three German teams qualify for the latter stages, and Kuranyi went on to say that the Bundesl iga is showing its potential.

"You see the Bundesliga compared to the top teams in Europe more and more. Its teams have developed well in Europe.

"In the Bundesliga, there's a lot of competition, which has had an affect on how the clubs do in Europe. It's not just in the Champions League - German football is well represented in the Europa League too."

Young goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall's performances have attracted criticism in recent weeks, and Kuranyi believes he would always have a "hard time" replacing Manuel Neuer.

"He is still very young. I try to just focus on the game, but that's not always easy. The goalkeeper is a successor to Neuer. Whoever succeeds him will have a hard time.

"As a player, you have to try and ignore the whistles and give your best. Then people can see that you're there for the club. Good performances come with experience."

Kuranyi left the Veltins Arena in 2010 for Dinamo Moscow, but is not thinking about a return to the Bundesliga.

"I am fully focussed on Dinamo Moscow and trying to achieve our goals with the team. But in football you never know. I haven't been thinking about another club."

Schalke's final Group B game, a trip to France to face Montpellier, kicks off at 20:45CET on Tuesday.

We will defeat Zenit to honour the Milan jersey - Yepes

AC Milan centre-back Mario Yepes is confident his side will secure three points against Zenit St Petersburg in their next Champions League clash.

The Rossoneri have won both of their last two games against Anderlecht and Catania 3-1, and the Colombia veteran is confident that they will build on the success.

"Winning is the best way to honour this shirt, and this is what Milan are going to do tomorrow," the 36-year-old told reporters at a press conference.

"We have to face every game in the best way possible. Hopefully [Stephan] El Shaarawy can continue his form. Our young players are playing very well and we have to be close to them. Tomorrow night we must extend our streak of positive results."

Milan are already through to the knockout stages of the competition and the former Paris Saint-Germain player reflected on the difficult challenge that they had to face in Group C.

"This year in the Champions Leag ue we are happy, we got through and will now be focused on the knockout phase. Our group was very tough.

"We are a close-knit team, we have lived [through] some difficult moments and now we have to continue our progress."

Milan host Zenit on December 4, with the match set to begin at 20.45CET.

Spalletti: I am too old to manage AC Milan

Zenit St Petersburg coach Luciano Spalletti believes he is too old to be the next AC Milan trainer.

Current boss Massimilliano Allegri has come under huge criticism for the San Siro side's poor performances in Serie A this term, and Spalletti has been repeatedly linked to take over.

However, the 53-year-old has revealed a move to the San Siro is not on his mind.

I am too old to coach Milan, he admitted in a press conference.

"I want to continue in Russia anyway. I have a good relationship with the president here and have only just renewed my contract. I would, however, like to coach in England in the future.

Although he ruled out a move to the Rossoneri, he gave a compliment to one of their star players this season, Stephan El Shaarawy.

Spalletti said: "ElShaarawyis a beautiful player. I became aware of him when he was offered to me back when I was atEmpoli in 1998.

The Italian has been in ch arge of Zenit since 2009 and has won the Russian Premier League twice.

'Qualified or not, AC Milan must win' Allegri

Massimilliano Allegri believes that AC Milan need to beat Zenit St Petersburg in their Champions League fixture to build some much-needed momentum.

The San Siro outfit are looking to finish the group stages with a win and sustain their unbeaten home record in the current European campaign and, although they have already qualified for the knockout stages, Allegri is determined not to let that affect the result on Tuesday.

"We must win," he told Gazzetta.it

"In matches where we had already qualified, AC Milan almost never did well. It is going to be a game in order to extend the streak of results. Winning is good.

"Winning helps us to stay calm and we must also prepare for the championship race. It is not a race you need to qualify, but if you do not get a positive result it is only two or three days to reconsider and we do not have that time."

Zenit are looking for a result that betters that of the side bottom of the g roup, Anderlecht, to gain a place in the Europa League.

The fixture is scheduled for Tuesday December 4, 2012 19:45 UTC at San Siro.

Shakhtar want to beat Juve, says Lucescu

Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu says that his men will always go into matches to come out victorious ahead of the Champions League clash against Juventus.

The Ukrainian champions currently sit top of Group E and are through to the final 16 in the competition, but the Romanian trainer says the table standing will not influence his team's approach.

"Shakhtar is always there to win," the 67-year-old told Tuttosport. "If the [game on] Wednesday will end in a tie, it will mean that it was fate."

Lucescu also warned that the Bianconerimight go into the fixture with more motivation, since a loss on Wednesday combined with a Chelsea win can still prevent the Italian side from proceeding to the knockout stages of the competition.

"The fact that we are playing against Juve should be motivation enough for us. Great players thrive on these comparisons. Speaking of motivation, it is clear that Juve has more," he continued.

And the coach expressed concerns that his side could be feeling fatigued after a lot of matches in a short amount of time, especially focusing on the Brazilian players in his team.

"It has definitely been a hard time and we are starting to feel it," he said.

"All they think about are the holidays, especiallyBrazilians who cannot wait to go home, where they will find the summer."

He added: "The danger? Holidays in Brazil."

Lucescu also said he felt there were two favourites to win the Champions League trophy, adding: "In their [domestic] leagues, they are all strong teams, but in the Champions League it is becoming increasingly difficult for everyone.

"However, I like Barca [Barcelona] and Bayern [Munich]."

Shakhtar will lock horns with Juventus at Donbass Arena on December 5.