Man City faces Ajax in CL survival battle

PARIS - Agence France-Presse

AC Milan forward Stephan El Shaarawy sits on the field after losing a Serie A match against Lazio. The Italian club is having a disappointing season. REUTERS photo

Hovering in the relegation zone in Serie A, AC Milan could desperately use some success in Europe to rescue what otherwise might be a season to forget.

However, the seven-time winners face a tough test tonight at Champions League newcomer Malaga, which has yet to concede a goal in four European outings, qualifiers included. The Costa del Sol club is third in the league and leads Group C with six points, two ahead of Milan.

Anderlecht, which has one point, and Zenit St. Petersburg, which has zero, meet in the other group match in Russia.

After losing five of eight league matches, Milan is off to its worst start in 71 years, leaving coach Massimiliano Allegri’s job at risk.

“There’s no desire to change the coach,” Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said. “(Allegri) is staying in place, he just needs to get the squad to start earning points and to find a solution to get out of this situation.”

Allegri ordered his squad into full-time training mode following a 3-2 loss at Lazio on Oct. 20.

“If the squad is not achieving results it’s normal for the coach to be placed in discussion,” Allegri said. “We’ve got to start earning points, we’ve got to improve and we’ve got to avoid mistakes.”