Alberto Gilardino, the AC Milan forward, is determined to help his team to heal the scars of Istanbul in Athens tomorrow evening.

The 24-year-old was not part of the team who fell apart against Liverpool two years ago, making his £18 million move from Parma to the San Siro a month later. Instead, he watched from the comfort of his own home as Liverpool came back from 3-0 down at half-time in the 2005 Champions League final.

“That match has become a kind of scar for AC Milan,” Gilardino said. “Now it is the time to heal it, to erase it. I watched the game on TV and I couldn’t believe my eyes. What happened on the pitch that night – the way that Liverpool got back into the game – was something paranormal.”

The Italy forward boasts an impressive scoring record in the Italian top flight. He has scored 79 goals in 158 appearances for Parma and AC Milan and, while he has yet to transplant that form into European competition, nine goals in 23 matches for his country are testament to his quality.

While Milan have made their relentless march on Athens, many of the plaudits have gone to Kaká, their play-making maestro, but Gilardino rejects suggestions that Milan are overreliant on the Brazil player.

“We have shown regularly that we have a great collective here, one that is made up of great players, starting with Dida in goal and ending with the last man on the bench,” he said. “Kaká is a phenomenon, the best in the world in my opinion, but I wouldn’t say that we depend on him.”

The statistics suggest otherwise. Goals by Kaká, who is the top scorer in the Champions League with ten, have helped to paper over the cracks left up front since Andriy Shevchenko and Hernán Crespo moved on.

Gilardino admits that he has struggled with nerves in the Champions League but, after scoring against Manchester United in the semi-finals, he believes that he is coming to terms with the mental demands of the highest level.

“I had some bad luck in the first few matches in the Champions League and this made me nervous,” Gilardino said. “For a forward, the psychological component is always very important. But the goal that I scored against United in Milan has changed everything: I am now ready to score in Athens.”

Milan’s hopes of regaining the scudetto were never realistic after they were docked eight points as part of the match-fixing scandal, but Gilardino is convinced that victory in the Champions League final would more than compensate for the disappointment.

“They are both important competitions, but if I have to choose, I’ll say the Champions League because to win it you have to beat all of the best European teams, including the Italian ones,” Gilardino said. “But, of course, even better would be to win them both. That is what we will be trying to do next season.”

Casting an eye over tomorrow evening’s opposition, the Italian points to the obvious threat of Peter Crouch, who has scored six goals in the competition this season. However, he is equally wary of Liverpool’s ability to conjure goals from midfield.

“Crouch is always very dangerous, especially if he receives good crosses,” he said. “And we will need to pay special attention to [Steven] Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and [John Arne] Riise in midfield as they all have a great shot and can all score from distance.

“The Champions League doesn’t lie. If you get to the final, it’s because you deserve to be there.

“Maybe, if you go by the names alone, there are better teams than Liverpool, but they still have a very good squad– perfectly balanced – and without any weak points as far as I can see.”