Prematch: AC Milan v. Arsenal (Second Leg)

By: Dan | March 3rd, 2008

Tomorrow Arsenal faces AC Milan at the San Siro after a 0-0 draw at the Emirates in the first leg. Obviously this game is important, but I really feel that it will dictate the rest of the season. Saturday’s game was the worst Arsenal have played since they lost to Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside, and the team needs to put that performance behind them and be prepared to play as well as they did in the first leg against Milan. We tied Aston Villa with a last minute goal from Bendtner on Saturday, and are only a point on top of the league. And, Arsenal has AC Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday, the biggest challenge of the year. That said, I really feel like Arsenal should be more then capable of coming away with a win.

Based on the first leg, AC Milan will be hard-pressed to score more then once on Tuesday. Pato worked hard and showed a little skill, but he never was a goal threat. Kaka was involved for about 25 minutes in the second half, but even then there was no real danger of goals. Based on AC Milan’s terrible home record, Arsenal can go to the San Siro cautiously optimistic.

Wenger agrees:

“We have to be tight defensively, because they tore Man United apart in the first 20 minutes of the second leg at the San Siro last season. It is important for us to start strongly in defence, but also not to hide. What is good from the first result is we know every time we get the ball we are incited to go for a goal. I do not like to go away from home thinking your team just has to defend. With a 0-0 result, we know that we have to attack as well. From the first game, we have the belief we can beat them because we dominated the game – that always has an impact on the second game. We will need patience against them, but our pace can be a good asset.”

The problem is the squad now. Eduardo is obviously out, but Rosicky is apparently still injured as well. If we have to play Diaby in Rosicky’s place, this game could be disastrous, if only because Diaby offers no defensive support for Clichy.

Oh, and apparently Robin Van Persie will be on the bench. Maybe he can make up for being injured since October for no apparent reason by scoring a goal.

That said, the line-up is still frustrating. Eboue has to start, and with the inevitable 4-5-1, the options are Walcott or Diaby or Gilberto, with Cesc on the wing. It will be interesting to see what Wenger comes up with. Seedorf is out for the game for AC Milan, and though he was quiet in the first leg, it is still nice to not have to face the Dutchman.

This game could be a clear Arsenal win. Milan is a very strong defensive team, and Maldini was sensational in the last leg, but Arsenal’s high-tempo game is enough to sneak an away goal. Arsenal is in a better position then Milan coming into this game, and I can only hope we come away with an emphatic win, despite only getting 2 points out of six in the last two Premiership games. Arsenal is still top of the league, and it is time for the team to play like champions.