SAME STORY DIFFERENT PLACE

Two years on from the drama of Istanbul, AC Milan and Liverpool FC will meet again in the UEFA Champions League final with revenge on Milanese minds. Carlo Ancelotti's side may be considered slight favourites but with Liverpool aiming to prove lightning can strike twice there is no danger of the Rossoneri taking anything for granted given the unforgettable circumstances of their opponents' 2005 triumph in Turkey. As if anyone needed reminding, Milan surrendered a 3-0 half-time lead as Rafael Benítez's team fought back to claim a 3-3 draw before winning on penalties.

• The Athens Olympic Stadium - otherwise known as the OACA Spyro Louis Stadium - is the setting for this showdown between two of the continent's most successful clubs and for a Milan team plotting revenge, the choice of venue may be considered a lucky one. It was here, after all, that the Rossoneri beat FC Barcelona 4-0 in the 1994 UEFA Champions League final.

• Between them, Milan and Liverpool have won eleven of the 51 previous editions of the European Champion Clubs' Cup. For Milan victory would bring their seventh European crown while Liverpool can make it six. Only nine-times winners Real Madrid CF have enjoyed more success in the competition than this pair.

• Milan are contesting their eleventh final and previously lifted the European Cup in 1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994 and 2003. The Rossoneri were runners-up in 1958, 1993, 1995 and 2005. Only Madrid have appeared in more finals (12).

• This is Liverpool's seventh European Cup final and their five successes were in 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 2005. Their sole losing final appearance came in 1985.

• Every time Liverpool have lifted the cup they have worn their home colours and beaten opponents wearing white. Although Milan were in white in Istanbul, they still regard the colour as lucky after five previous triumphs wearing their change strip in 1963, 1989, 1990, 1994 and 2003.

• On an individual level, Milan's Paolo Maldini could claim his fifth winners' medal following victories with the Rossoneri in 1989, 1990, 1994 and 2003. He will equal Paco Gento's record of eight final appearances in Athens and Gento is one of only three players in history to have enjoyed more success in the competition: the Real Madrid CF legend has six wins to his name while former colleagues Alfredo di Stéfano and José María Zárraga have five each.

• If Maldini has followed his father Cesare in winning the European Cup with Milan, Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina is aiming to go one better than his own father, Miguel, who finished on the losing side with Club Atlético de Madrid in their 1974 final against FC Bayern München.

• Both Ancelotti and Benítez have led their teams to this trophy once before, Ancelotti in 2003 and Benítez in 2005. In the Milan coach's case he is one of only five men to have lifted the European Cup as both a player and manager, following three triumphs with Milan in his playing days.

• Another of Milan's European Cup history-makers is Clarence Seedorf, who is the only player to have won the competition with three different clubs: AFC Ajax (1995), Real Madrid (1998) and Milan (2003).

• This is the two clubs' first meeting since their remarkable first encounter in the Istanbul final on 25 May 2005. Milan took a first-minute lead that night through Maldini, the quickest goal in a final, and they struck twice more before the break through Hernán Crespo (39, 44). Liverpool responded with three goals in a stunning spell from Steven Gerrard (54), Vladimír Šmicer (56) and Xabi Alonso (60) and the English team won the ensuing shoot-out 3-2, with Jerzy Dudek the hero after saving Andriy Shevchenko's spot-kick.

• The full details of the shoot-out were:Serginho, missed; Hamann, 0-1; Pirlo, saved; Cissé, 0-2; Tomasson, 1-2; Riise, saved; Kaká, 2-2; Šmicer, 2-3; Shevchenko, saved.

• The teams in Istanbul were: Milan: Dida; Cafu, Jaap Stam, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini; Gennaro Gattuso (Rui Costa, 112), Andrea Pirlo, Kaká, Clarence Seedorf (Serginho, 86); Andriy Shevchenko, Hernán Crespo (Jon Dahl Tomasson, 85).

• Liverpool: Jerzy Dudek; Steve Finnan (Dietmar Hamann, 46), Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypiä, Djimi Traoré; Luis García, Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard, John Arne Riise; Harry Kewell (Vladimír Šmicer, 23), Milan Baroš (Djibril Cissé, 85).

• Milan advanced to Athens thanks to a 5-3 aggregate victory over Manchester United FC in the semi-finals. After succumbing to a 3-2 first-leg loss at Old Trafford, Milan found the perfect response at San Siro as they won through goals from Kaká (11), Clarence Seedorf (30) and Alberto Gilardino (78).

• For Milan the road to the final began in the third qualifying round where they beat FK Crvena Zvezda both at home (1-0) and away (2-1). After finishing top of Group H - recording three wins, one draw and two defeats – the Italian side overcame Celtic FC in the first knockout round, following up a 0-0 away draw with a 1-0 home success. They then got the better of FC Bayern München in the quarter-finals, drawing 2-2 at home before winning 2-0 away.

• Liverpool's semi-final victims were the same Chelsea FC team they overcame two years earlier en route to Istanbul. After losing the first leg in London 1-0, Daniel Agger's 22nd-minute strike gave Benítez's side an identical victory at Anfield before they completed the victory with a 4-1 shoot-out success.

• Boudewijn Zenden, Alonso, Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt all converted their spot-kicks while goalkeeper Reina stopped kicks from Chelsea's Arjen Robben and Geremi. That success means the Merseyside club have lost just one of eleven penalty shoot-outs they have contested in all competitions.

• Liverpool's campaign began in the group stage where they topped Group C with four wins, one draw and one defeat. In the first knockout round they achieved the feat of eliminating holders FC Barcelona, winning on away goals after a 2-1 first-leg victory in Spain and 1-0 loss in the return. The quarter-finals brought a more comfortable passage as they beat PSV Eindhoven 3-0 away and 1-0 at home.

• Greece has proved a happy hunting ground for Milan in the two previous finals they have contested here. It was in Thessaloniki that the Rossoneri defeated another English side, Leeds United AFC, in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, Luciano Chiarugi scoing the only goal after four minutes.

• The OACA Spyro Louis Stadium, meanwhile was the setting for their 4-0 UEFA Champions League final triumph on 18 May 1994 against a Barcelona 'Dream Team' stunned by goals from Daniele Massaro (2), Dejan Savićević and Marcel Desailly. However, it was at this same stadium earlier this season that Milan suffered their first defeat on Greek soil, going down 1-0 to AEK Athens FC in the group stage.

• Liverpool, for their part, have positive memories of their previous two visits to the final venue, winning 1-0 at Panathinaikos FC to secure a 5-0 aggregate success in the 1984/85 European Cup semi-final and then drawing 2-2 against Olympiacos CFP en route to a third-round success in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup – a competition they went on to win.

• The Reds' most recent visit to Greece ended in defeat as they went down 1-0 to Olympiacos at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Milan's record against English teams reads nine wins, seven draws and eight defeats from 24 matches, with the 2005 final counted as a Rossoneri reverse. They have played two previous UEFA finals against opposition from England, defeating Leeds to win the Cup Winners' Cup in 1973 but losing to Liverpool in Istanbul.

• Liverpool have won seven and lost seven of their 16 previous encounters with Italian opposition - with the final shoot-out victories of 1984 and 2005 counted as two of those successes.

• They have contested three previous UEFA finals against Serie A sides and won two of them. Besides beating Milan in Istanbul, they defeated AS Roma 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the 1983/84 European Cup final in Rome. However, they lost 1-0 to Juventus in the final in Brussels the following season.

• Overall there have been five Anglo-Italian UEFA competition finals and the score reads 3-2 in favour of England.

• This is the fifth time that two former final opponents have met again and for Milan the third time they have faced such a rematch.

• Milan got the better of SL Benfica twice in the final, beating the Portuguese side 2-1 in 1963 and 1-0 in 1990. Against Ajax, meanwhile, they recorded a 4-1 victory in 1969 but lost 1-0 when the sides squared off for a second time in the 1995 final.

• The other two final rematches were: Real Madrid CF v Stade de Reims Champagne – 4-3 in 1956; 2-0 in 1959. Ajax v Juventus - 1-0 in 1973; 1-1 (2-4 pens) in 1996.

• The Athens Olympic Stadium has a proud sporting history. Originally constructed for the 1982 European Athletics Championship, the OACA Spyro Louis Stadium was named after the winner of the first Olympic marathon in the Greek capital in 1896 and is located in the north of the city in the municipality of Maroussi. Construction begun in 1980, and it was opened on 8 September 1982, the arena dominated by four leaning pillars at each corner.

• In 2002 the old stadium was closed and, after a major revamp, was re-opened on 30 July 2004 for the Olympic Games. The new Athens Olympic Stadium was noticeable for the twin 304m arches supporting the polycarbonate roof designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and designed to withstand winds of up to 120km/h.

• UEFA President Michel Platini will present the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the winning captain, with UEFA Champions League final ambassador Theodoros Zagorakis assisting in the ceremony. The victorious Greece captain at UEFA EURO 2004™ will first help Mr Platini present medals to the match officials and the losing team, before the winning team step up to claim their medals and the trophy.