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With AC Milan all set to host Spanish giants FC Barcelona in the Round of 32 of the UEFA Champions League tonight, 18YB looks at what could prove to be a scintillating clash between two of the most successful sides in Europe.
The two sides met four times in the same competition last year, out of which the Italian giants could only manage 2 draws, whilst not even managing that much in the remaining two. But considering who they were up against, arguably one of the best ever club sides in the history of football, hardly anyone was surprised.
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| AC Milan are all set to host Barcelona in the Champions League tonight |
While Barcelona are, yet again, the favorites
tonight, AC Milan will certainly try to make life difficult for the Spanish,
who will be going all out for an away victory at the San Siro.
AC Milan
AC Milan, who currently sit 3rd in
the Serie A, a considerable 7 points behind Napoli, will go into this tie
confidently, having had a resurgent start to 2013. The arrival of Mario
Balotelli has upped their spirits and although he won’t be present on the pitch
tonight, his presence in the side for the last month has made a big impact on
the players.
Strength:
Milan will be starting in their usual 4-3-3
system with the only slight modification of Kevin Prince Boateng starting
instead of Balotelli in the first XI. Although Balotelli starts in the centre
with Pazzini on the right, tonight it will be Pazzini who will lead their
attack through the centre. Their attack
is a certain strong area for them, with either Niang or the eccentric El Shaarawy
(who might just be fit in time for the game) supporting the duo.
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| In El Shaarawy and Boateng, Milan have got two of Europe's most dynamic footballers |
With Boateng pushed further up, Milan certainly
are going in for the kill as this, being the home leg is a golden opportunity
to get an advantage over Barca, if at all that is ever to happen over 180 minutes.
Riccardo
Montolivo is definitely a man to watch out for as he will look to get
the better of the creative Barca midfield to stamp his authority on the game.
Weakness:
Their midfield is a certain cause of concern as
in the absence of the dynamic Nigel De Jong, Milan will certainly miss his
presence in the centre of the park. With a decent standard of distribution and
even better break up play, De Jong would have been more than useful for this
crucial clash which will define Milan’s season.
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| Mexes will look to shield the Milan defense |
Their defense doesn’t look too good either with
the centre back combination of Zapata/Bonera and Mexes being no comparison the the
likes of Messi, Pedro and Iniesta, who look set to run riot on the Italians.
Tactical Analysis
Milan will look to reach out to the creative Riccardo Montolivo as an outlet as soon as they
receive the ball. Montolivo, who has an eye for crucial passes, will look to
release Boateng or Niang/El Shaarawy down the respective wings. They should
look to use the strength and pace in their attack which could be a threat to
the Barca defense.
FC Barcelona
Barcelona will be confident going into this
crucial tie as they lie comfortably atop the La Liga table with significant
ground on second place Atletico Madrid. Tito Vilanova has tried to implement
certain changes to the side he inherited from Guardiola by making this side a
bit more flexible.
Under Pep, when they did seem to give up from
their usual style of short passing(when it proved too stagnant), Tito’s side has
that extra bit of dimension added by the acquisition of the dynamic Jordi Alba
on the left and Alex Song, who can get a bit of variation in the centre of the park.
Strength:
The presence of Leo Messi is definitely one of
the strengths of this dominating Barcelona side. With him,
Iniesta and Pedro, Barca have got one of the most threatening attacks in the
world. Their style of play allows them to hold the ball well, pass it with composure
and wait for that incisive through pass to cut open the opposition defense.
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| Barca will field their star-studded line up against Milan tonight |
Their midfield is competent enough to support
their attack with the likes of Xavi, Fabregas, Busquets, Song all capable
enough to be in the first XI.
Weakness:
The current Barca side doesn’t look to have any
weakness other than the aging Puyol in the heart of defense. Although still
good enough to carry on in one of the top clubs, Puyol has lost that yard of
pace, which makes him vulnerable against agile players like El Shaarawy. His strength,
though more than makes up for it thereby making his side one of the sides to
beat this season.
The likes of Dani Alves and Jordi Alba will
need to be cautious as Barca could be prone to the counter attacks with
Niang/El Shaarawy and Boateng good on the counter.
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| Alves will need to be cautious against the quick El Shaarawy |
Tactical Analysis
Barcelona will most certainly look to impose
their possession game right from the start of the game. The trio of Xavi,
Fabregas and Busquets will look to dictate play with their short passes. With their
full backs also bombarding forward, Barcelona also have an outlet of wing play
in their otherwise central system.
The dribbling abilities of Messi and Iniesta
will always be handy to get past Milan’s defenders and might just give them an
upper hand in this sumptuous clash.
Prediction: With Barcelona clearly a stronger side as compared to their European counterparts, they should be able to grind out a vital away victory by a thrilling 2-3 margin.
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Written by,
Aman Arora
Aman writes for Goal India, GiveMeFootball.com and 18 Yard Box
Follow him at @aman_ghs and at @18YB06
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