The Serie A Champions welcome their Spanish counterparts to the Giuseppe Meazza on the match day 5 of Group H. With both the European giants having been in exceptional form lately, and the first match ending in a dramatic 2-2 draw, a nail biting encounter is predicted at the San Siro.
Venue: San Siro - Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
Date: Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Kick Off: 7:45 PM GMT
AC Milan news:
Expected lineup: Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, Silva, Antonini; Aquilani, Ambrosini, Nocerino; Seedorf, Ibrahimovic, Pato
With a number of players returning from injury and suspension, Massimilano Allegri will have a wide range to choose his starting XI from. Seedorf is most likely to start ahead of Boateng behind the too strikers, as his vast experience gives him an edge over the Ghanayan mid fielder. However, Boateng, Robinho and Ambrosini are likely to be seen in the second half of the match to equal the stamina of the fast paced Catalans. Alexandre Pato will see his return from injury against the Spanish giants; the Brazilian came on late at the weekend in the match against Fiorentina and put on a good performance for the Rossoneri. Cassano and Gattuso are both out with long term injuries. The former is, however, showing signs of recovery as he visited his team mates at the milanello training centre Monday afternoon. Milan will be looking to pile pressure on the current Champions from the start by pushing players high up the field to avoid granting Barcelona with all the possession – their most lethal weapon (after Messi).
Man to Watch: Zlatan Ibrahimović
Without a doubt, all eyes will be on the big Swede on Wednesday night as he faces his former club, which he left following a protracted controversy. He has been catching headlines for both the good, and the bad reasons lately, with the latter cancelling out the effect of the former, following the recent release of his controversial autobiography, which contains a plethora of negative remarks about his ex-teammates and Coach Pep Guardiola. Ibrahimovic will be the only one in the Milan squad who will play this match with a burning desire to win, so If Milan have any chances of beating Barcelona, their strategies will be highly dependent on the prolific goal scorer and his Brazilian strike partner.
Barcelona news:
Expected lineup: Valdes; Puyol, Pique, Mascherano, Abidal; Busquets, Xavi; Fabregas, Sanchez; Villa, Messi
There are many facts and figures which underpin the intensity of this match. On one side, Alexandre Pato scored the fifth fastest goal in the history of the competition (24 seconds) at Camp Nou in the 2-2 draw on September 13, 2011, and on the other, the Spanish side have outscored their opponents 9-0 in their last two away matches in Group H. Pep Guardiola was hit by a storm of an injury ahead of the clash as he will have to make do without the services of Andres Iniesta. The midfielder picked up a thigh injury in Saturday's 4-0 Liga win over Zaragoza and Barca have now revealed on their official website that Iniesta has not been included in the match squad for the crunch clash at San Siro. Another setback is that of Dani Alves, who is suspended for this match day. Sergio Busquets tried to cool down the situation regarding Barcelona and Ibra after the midfielder insisted that his side will not be looking for revenge against AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Wednesday's Champions League match. "We are thinking about Milan, not just one particular player, this is Milan v Barca, not Ibrahimovic v Barca.” Busquets told a press conference. The Blaugrana will secure qualification for the last 16 as group leader if they win in Milan.
Man to Watch: Lionel Messi
Arguably the best footballer in the world right now, Lio is the joint top scorer in the Champions League with five goals to his name. The in-form striker found the back of the net in the 4-0 win over Zaragoza at the weekend. Surely, the lightning quick star will pose the biggest threat to the Italian side. In the last encounter between the two sides, Messi was excellently managed by Veteran defender Alessandro Nesta. Can the Milan backline manage to cope up with his fast pace and one-touch football to stop him from finding the back of the net? Only time will tell…
The most anticipated match of this Champions League round will provide a nail biting 90 minutes for all football lovers. Barcelona are likely to be the dominant force in the game, but provided the advantages of the home stadium, and an injury-hit Iniesta, the Rossoneri might just clinch a narrow victory to go into the last match day on top of Group H.
AC MILAN 1 – 1 BARCELONA
source: http://www.sportpulse.net
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