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Defending champions FC Barcelona face familiar foe AC Milan in what should be a cracking Champions League quarter-final at the San Siro. Join us for live scores and blog from 5:30am AEDT.
If their 4-0 victory over Arsenal at home is any indication, AC Milan will provide Barcelona with their biggest test thus far in the Champions League.
Both sides have already met during the group stages, with Milan managing a draw at the Camp Nou before Barcelona emerged with a 3-2 victory at the San Siro.
Milan in particular will be desperate to take a lead to Spain, given Barcelona’s supreme dominance at the Camp Nou.
With that in mind, expect Milan to come out with an attacking mindset and put Barcelona under significant pressure.
Barcelona on the other hand will look to once again monopolise possession and probe for any chinks in Milan’s defence.
Given Barcelona’s home form, Milan will be equally careful not to concede any away goals here, as it could easily jeopardise their chances of progressing to the semi-finals.
Milan’s chances tonight will rest on the performances of star attacking duo Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kevin-Prince Boateng.
Ibrahimovic is in fine goal scoring touch, scoring 29 goals thus far in all competitions. However, the Swedish international has often been criticised for failing to perform consistently in big matches.
After starring in Milan’s Arsenal win, Ibrahimovic was very quiet in the return leg as the Premier League giants secured a 3-0 victory. In short, Ibrahimovic has to perform tonight if Milan is a hope of securing a vital first leg lead against Barcelona.
Boateng is the trump card for Milan. The Ghanaian international has scored some cracking goals thus far in the Champions League and is capable of tearing Barcelona apart with an inspired piece of skill.
While Milan’s attack will cause Barcelona some problems, their defence has been significantly weakened due to the injury to Brazilian fullback Thiago Silva and the suspension of Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel.
If containing the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi wasn’t difficult enough, Milan will have to do it without two of their best defensive players.
Messi in particular will cause havoc for the Serie A outfit. The Argentine only needs one more goal to break the record for a Champions League season.
Even if Messi doesn’t score, the Barcelona maestro is equally capable of turning provider for forward partners Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas.
Although Milan are certainly capable of scoring some goals here, Barcelona’s creativity and firepower in attack should allow them to secure a tight but vital away victory.
Barcelona to win 2-1.