Strachan ready for Milan test

Updated 09.34 Wed Oct 03 2007

Keywords: Champions League, SPL, Kaka, AC Milan, Gordon Strachan, Celtic, football, sport

Gordon Strachan is refusing to take any notice of reigning European champions AC Milan's poor start to the Serie A season.

Carlo Ancelotti's Rossoneri visit Celtic in the Champions League having won just one of their first six domestic league matches.

"I don't know how many points they have got but I know for a fact they are performing well and that's all our players need to know" - Gordon Strachan

But Strachan knows his Bhoys, who went top of the Scottish Premier League with a 3-0 win over Dundee United last weekend, will have to be at their best if they are to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat at Shakhtar Donetsk a fortnight ago.

The Celtic boss, who is without striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, said: "I watch videos of their games and they are playing well without getting points. In every video I've watched they have been the best side and they are making chances.

"I don't know how many points they have got but I know for a fact they are performing well and that's all our players need to know."

Strachan believes Milan's brilliant Brazilian Kaka, who was the difference when the two sides met in the last 16 of European club football's most prestigious competition last season, will once again be the man to stop.

He added of the Rossoneri's star-studded squad: "They have good players all over the place but Kaka is probably one of the most exciting.

"If you are looking for excitement then he has got that, you saw that with the goal he got against us last season.

"When everything seemed fine and we were attacking, suddenly they break away, the ball comes off big Evander Sno and he has the ability to go past another couple of people and score.

"That's just genius and sometimes you have just got to hold your hands up to genius."