Teenager Paloschi set to start as Milan hunt league boost

Paloschi will start for AC Milan if Filippo Inzaghi does not recover from a knock (Reuters)

Milan's teenage striker Alberto Paloschi could start today's Serie A game against Livorno while Ronaldo's career at the San Siro is far from over, coach Carlo Ancelotti said yesterday.

Debutant Paloschi scored 18 seconds after coming on as a substitute to give Milan a 1-0 win over Siena on Sunday. The 18-year-old youth team striker was in the squad only because of injuries to Kaka and Alexandre Pato and with the Brazilian duo again out of today's game, Paloschi will start if Filippo Inzaghi does not recover from a knock.

"If Inzaghi has difficulty recovering, Paloschi will play from the start. Otherwise he will go on the bench and Inzaghi will play," Ancelotti said, adding that Gennaro Gattuso was also available after injury.

A win for Milan would send the European champions into fourth place above Fiorentina having climbed up from mid table recently following a woeful first half of the season.

The Brazilian forward Ronaldo has missed much of the campaign through injury and cut a sorry figure on Sunday where he managed just 45 minutes in his latest comeback. His contract is up at the end of the season but Ancelotti said the 31-year-old will stay if he regains fitness.

"On Sunday he was not in the best form to play. If I had had other possibilities I would not have sent him on to the field. If Ronaldo finds his best condition, his contract will be renewed," Ancelotti said.

The Milan coach also defended rivals Internazionale after the league leaders benefited from a number of recent refereeing decisions.

"Referees make mistakes because refereeing isn't easy. They have made mistakes with everyone. More errors in favour of Inter? It's just random," he said.

Elsewhere, Bundesliga strugglers Nuremberg have appointed Thomas von Heesen as their coach. Nuremberg, German Cup winners last season, fired Hans Meyer on Monday after the club slipped to third from bottom in the table.

Von Heesen resigned as the coach of Arminia Bielefeld this time last year. His first game in charge of Nuremberg will be against Benfica in the Uefa Cup tomorrow evening.

AEK Athens have sacked their Spanish coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer. His assistant Nikos Kostenoglou has been put in temporary charge for today's Uefa Cup tie at home to Getafe. Serra Ferrer, the former coach of Real Betis, took over at AEK in 2006.

The Athens club have slipped to third in the Super League after losing their last two games. AEK have 42 points from 20 matches, two points behind Olympiakos Piraeus and four adrift of leaders Panathinaikos.