Barcelona as usual are hitting form at the right point of the season but will face a test when they take on unpredictable AC Milan at the San Siro on Wednesday in the Champions League (AC Milan 4/1, draw 11/4, Barcelona 8/11 – Match Prices).
There has not been a more Jeckyll and Hyde pair of performances than the ones witnessed in Milan’s last-16 double-header with Premier League outfit Arsenal in the last round.
The Italians dominated the first leg at the San Siro as they completely out-gunned the Gunners with an accomplished display in front of their fanatical support. However, the Serie A outfit crumbled at the Emirates and were lucky to scrape through to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Manager Massimiliano Allegri will be determined for his side to put on a similar home performance to their demolition of Arsenal when they host the European champions this week.
Zlatan Ibrahimovich (7/1 – First Goalscorer), Robinho and Kevin Prince Boateng were on fire that night and they will certainly be a trio who can cause problems for the sometimes shaky Barca backline.
Likewise Milan have leaked goals at the back this season and with the loss of Thiago Silva to injury, Allegri is going to have to shuffle his pack for Wednesday night.
Barcelona could be smelling blood already and the pace they have throughout their side is going to keep the likes of Alessandro Nesta and Daniele Bonera awake at night.
The Catalan club’s goal-machine Lionel Messi (11/4 – First Goalscorer) is the top scorer in the Champions League this season with seven to his name so far. So do not be surprised if the Argentine magician dances his way through the Milan defence to add to his tally in the competition.
Even when the playmaker does not have the ball he draws the attention of defenders which creates space for those around him, with the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Pedro set to be a threat at the San Siro.
The game will depend on which Milan turns up on the night; if they can repeat their efforts from their first clash with Arsenal they may well be able to hold the La Liga giants.
However, Barcelona have so many attacking options and keep the ball so well that they should be able to bag a couple of vital away goals and take a lead back to the Nou Camp.
In Wednesday’s other Champions quarter-final Marseille host Bayern Munich in a massive game for the Ligue 1 side (Marseille 7/2, draw 5/2, Bayern Munich 5/6 – Match Betting).
The encounter at the Stade Velodrome will see the return of Bayern star Franck Ribery (7/4 Anytime Goalscorer) to his former club in the first competitive meeting between the two teams.
It looks likely that Marseille won’t be happy to see the return of the French international, as he is part of strong Bayern side who are more than capable of getting a comfortable win in the south of France.
Les Phoceens have lost nine of their last 19 games in this competition at the Stade Velodrome and you should be able to add another defeat to that tally come the final whistle on Wednesday night.
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