Tuesday's UEFA Champion's League Round of 16 first leg at the San Siro with Tottenham Hotspur visiting the hosts AC Milan will kick off one of the most anticipated ties in this stage of the tournament. Milan and Spurs are clubs from two of the world's biggest leagues, from two of the world's biggest cities and two clubs with no hesitation in the attack. Despite both clubs being shorthanded each has made statements and indicated that they have every attention to open the match up and play positively, setting up what could be a thrilling match.
UEFA Champions League Preview: AC Milan Vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Unfortunately, the first leg will be a match-up highlighted by those missing. For Tottenham, the English club will have to figure out how to manage a result in the first leg that gives themselves a chance in the second leg without Gareth Bale or most likely, Luka Modric. On the flip side is Milan, who will have to play without Mark van Bommel, Emanuelson and Antonion Cassano, all of whom are cup-tied after playing in the tournament's earlier rounds for another club before being brought in my Milan last month. Also missing for the Italians will be Andrea Pirlo, Massimo Ambrosini and Kevin-Prince Boateng, all of whom are hurt.
Spurs visited the San Siro in the group stages of the Champions League, albeit to play Inter Milan, and after falling behind 4-0 in the first half they stormed back thanks to a hat trick from Bale only to lose 4-3. Even so, home wins against Inter, Werder Bremen and Twente did the trick for Spurs to win their group. Lately, with Tottenham so hamstrung by injuries that they had two keepers on their bench in a recent match just to fill all the places with healthy players, the team has done enough to pick up results that have them in fourth place in the Premier League.
Milan have capitalized on the struggles of their rivals Inter to move atop Serie A and haven’t dropped three points in the league since a December 18th match against Roma. Unfortunately for the surging Italians, they got drawn into a Champions League group with Real Madrid who outclassed them both in Italy and Spain to run away with the group. Milan comfortably picked up the second place in the group and advancement, but it set them up to play a group winner in the Round of 16, which the draw determined would be Spurs.
Players flying up and down the pitch is expected in this tie with the attacking talent that both teams still have available to them. The most dangerous of the strikers either team has is the mercurial Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who for all his critics scores bundles of goals and does so with a flair few can match. Pairing Ibrahimovic will be Alexandre Pato, who has loads of skill, but has yet to find any sort of consistency and has been thoroughly mediocre lately. Also up top will be another Brazilian, Robinho, who has revived his career with Milan and will routinely threaten the Tottenham defense with quick and speedy runs that will have the defenders on their heels.
It looks as if Tottenham's striker is going to be Peter Crouch, an accomplished goal scorer in the Champions League, but one who has wasted countless chances this season. Realistically, Crouch is in the team to use his 6'6'' frame to knock balls down for Rafael van der Vaart, the sensational Dutchman who will sit in underneath Crouch. One place Spurs will have to have the edge if they are to win the match is on the wings, where Milan can be exploited. In a narrow 4-3-3, Milan are vulnerable to attacks out wide and with Niko Kranjcar coming off of game-winning goals in consecutive matches and the blistering pace of Aaron Lennon, Tottenham has what it takes to dominate the wings.
In every match it is the midfield and center of the park that is looked upon with great interest as it often holds the keys to the match. This match could have featured some brilliant midfield play however the quality of those midfielders who cannot play far outstrips the quality of those who can. For Milan, van Bommel, Cassano, Ambrosini and Pirlo all unavailable. For Spurs, Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas are all certainties to miss, while even the most optimistic of Spurs supporters have Modric coming off of the bench.
The injuries leave manager Harry Redknapp was an easy choice of who to play in the center of the park as he turns to his only two healthy central midfielders, Wilson Palacios and Sandro. Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri doesn't have many better options and Gennaro Gattuso and Mathieu Flamini will likely have to take to the midfield along with a third who could be the very green 18-year-old Alexander Merkel. What could have been tantalizing match-ups such as Modric versus van Bommel and Huddlestone versus Cassano will unfortunately go unseen.
Being the home side, Milan will undoubtedly be forced to go for the win and if they had their way, do so by multiple goals to give themselves a cushion for their second leg at White Hart Lane. The Italians will be on the attack, as all home teams are in a first leg, but often that is countered by a bunkering visiting side who is content to defend and try to scrape a goal. That won’t be the case with Tottenham.
“Attacking football is what got us here in the first place,” Redknapp said. “We have had a go all through this competition so we will have a right go again at San Siro.”
Spurs are going to match Milan’s attack, setting the stage for an open match that will thrill those who complain about the negative tactics in modern football. Big clubs, big players (even with so many missing) and two teams intent on attacking. There is a reason why so many adore the Champions League and Milan and Tottenham could very well show why in a thrilling 90 minutes.
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