All eyes will be on the San Siro on Wednesday when AC Milan faces off against Arsenal. Both sides have had their highest of highs along with their lowest of lows this season, and both will be looking for some Champions League magic to make up for their slips in form.

Poor recent form

Milan’s form in the Serie A has left something to be desired. Despite sitting top of the table, they have a two game advantage over second place Juventus, and have only won three of their last six games since the Milan Derby. They have been given a significant boost by welcoming back Kevin Prince Boateng and Alexandre Pato from their injury absences as well as experienced center back Alessandro Nesta and starting goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.

Probable Lineup for AC Milan

The probable line-up for Wednesday’s encounter could be a 4-3-1-2 spearheaded by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but the two dilemmas that Max Allegri faces are who will be Ibra’s partner up top and who will start in the center of defense alongside Thiago Silva? For the attack, one of Robinho, Pato, and Stephan El Shaarawy will feature up front, but if Allegri is going by form, El Shaarawy is his guy. If he wants to have more experience, then Robinho could be starting due to Pato’s recent return from injury, Allegri won’t want to rush him back and risk the possibility of another injury. As for the defense, Allegri should choose Philippe Mexes as he’s younger and possesses more pace than Nesta, plus having a seasoned defender in Nesta on the bench in case of emergencies would be assuring for Allegri, not to mention he doesn’t want him to become unavailable again.

A big chance for AC Milan

This fixture is a landmark in some ways. Firstly, AC Milan was considered a European giant up until their meeting with Arsenal four years ago in the last sixteen when a certain Cesc Fabregas knocked the Rossoneri out of the competition and since then, Milan have had problems getting through to the quarter finals. Tomorrow night may be their chance, however most of the stats go against them. Milan have seen under 2.5 goals in their last three meetings with the Gunners, but this season, they’ve scored at least two goals in five of their last six Champions League matches. The only daunting stat against AC Milan is that they’ve only won four out of their last nineteen Champions League fixtures.

My prediction for this match is a 2-1 Milan victory, despite the stats, having most of Milan’s key players available for the last sixteen is rare, and suhey’rely tll benefit from this. Arsenal’s defending can be woeful, especially from set pieces, which will be a beautiful sight for Ibra and his strike partner. Whoever wins this first leg match may be able to reignite their domestic campaign and achieve their pre-season goals, don’t miss this one, it’s going to be a cracker!

Bet with Bet365