Arsenal vs. AC Milan Preview

Arsenal will be out to re-write the Champions League history book on March 6 when they take on the mighty AC Milan in the second leg of the last 16 at the Emirates Stadium.

Milan were ruthless at the San Siro and condemned Arsene Wenger’s men to their heaviest ever defeat in the competition – a result which sparked yet more doubters and rumours regarding the Frenchman’s future as boss at the club.

From the very first whistle, a weak and aimless Gunners side were bullied and harassed by the Italians who also demonstrated enough attacking quality and prowess to leave them in the mix for European glory amongst the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Hide behind the sofa time it certainly was for many Arsenal fans who must surely be questioning what will happen next as their club continues its slippery demise.

The introduction of legend Thierry Henry at the break in Milan did a lot to suggest how desperate Arsenal had become and just how much they were being outplayed.

And now, Henry’s departure back to the States has left the North Londoners even more threadbare ahead of the second leg where they must overturn a seemingly insurmountable 4-0 deficit to advance any further in the competition which they are in danger of failing to reach at all next season.

Rossoneri coach Massimilliano Allegri will be ultra-confident that his side already have this tie in the bag and in all honesty, such thoughts are almost certain to be proved correct as even an Arsenal on form could not bridge the huge gulf in quality between the two teams and inject life back into the fixture.

Milan are unlikely to merely shut up shop as this could prove a dangerous tactic – as they found out when 3-0 to the good in the 2005 final against Liverpool.

But assuming they turn out more or less the same eleven which triumphed in the first leg, a performance of professionalism, authority and control can be anticipated at the very least – even if they do not commit as much to their attack with such a big cushion to sit on and protect.

The qualification market should obviously be ignored and even the most sentimental of Gunner’s fans will be leaving the somewhat miserly top price of 33/1 alone for them to achieve the unbelievable.

Amazingly, the bookmakers have, however, apparently forgotten the basic signs of the first leg and subsequently installed Arsenal as 13/10 to be successful on the night.

This is a terrible price considering that they looked like boys up against men at the San Siro and although Milan may not be pushing as hard in London, you can bet that the visitors will be keen to prolong their overwhelming dominance and maintain another clean sheet.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see this second leg fizzle out in a draw particularly if Arsenal fail to net in the first half. Nonetheless, at 23/10, Milan are probably worth siding with again and can land the odds by extending their overall aggregate margin.

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26/02/2012     © Frixo 2024