Milan's Victory at the Friuli Builds Momentum Ahead of Arsenal Clash

When Zlatan Ibrahimovic got suspended for three games earlier this week for his slap on Salvatore Aronica, a span which includes a date with Juventus at the end of February, critics began to question Milan's ability to win without him.

Coming off a stretch of three matches overall without a win and no goals in their last two Serie A matches, AC Milan picked up one of the most impressive wins in Italy this season, becoming the first team to defeat Udinese at the Friuli.

It was the 12th home match of the season for Udinese. Prior to the Milan match, they had 10 wins at home and the only other result was a draw against Juventus.

AC Milan were late to the party, but showed glimmers of flair throughout the first half. However, an incredible goal from Antonio Di Natale saw the hosts take a 1-0 lead into the break.

Fans and media alike have doubted Maxi Lopez's abilities since arriving at the club in January in place of Carlos Tevez, who Milan were unsuccessful in acquiring from Manchester City. However, the former Catania forward made his presence known today. Lopez replaced Antonio Nocerino with 25 minutes to play, taking to playing out wide on the right and providing a spark.

Lopez scored his first Milan goal with 13 minutes to play off a rebound to put Milan back on level terms. Eight minutes later, he perfectly thread a pass through the Udinese defense to the foot of 19-year-old Stephan El Shaarawy, who scored his second goal of the week, following up on a goal in the midweek Coppa Italia loss to Juventus. El Shaarawy now has two Serie A goals this season, both against Udinese.

After beating one of the top six teams in the league for the first time all season, Milan celebrated as if they had just pulled a spectacular upset, but while this was not the case, the victory provides Milan with much needed confidence going into one of the toughest tests of the season.

After a two-month hiatus that has left fans of 16 European clubs feeling anxious for 180 stressful minutes of football, the UEFA Champions League returns this week for the beginning of the Knockout Rounds.

On Wednesday, Milan play in what has been considered by many to be the most anticipated fixture of the Last 16, as they play a rematch of this very round from the 2007-08 competition.

Arsenal will be arriving in Milan soon for the first of two games to decide which of the two sides will play in the Quarterfinals.

The two sides met in the Last 16 in 2008, when Arsenal made it through thanks to a 2-0 aggregate score. The fixture seemed to be going towards extra time as the second leg was tied 0-0 with six minutes left, but Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor, both no longer with the Gunners, scored in the last eight minutes to put the visitors through.

That was the first of three trips in four seasons to the Last 16 for Milan. The season they missed they were in the UEFA Cup (now the Europa League). In the last three trips, Milan have been eliminated by English competition: Arsenal (2-0), Manchester United (7-2) and Tottenham Hotspur (1-0).

Milan will be looking to put the Last 16 nightmares that have haunted them since last winning the Champions League in 2007 in the past.

Milan will be looking forward to having Zlatan Ibrahimovic available, and the Swede should be excited to get back on the pitch against the Gunners. The last time Ibrahimovic played against Arsenal was in the Champions League with Barcelona during the 2009-10 season. He scored two goals on six shots in a 2-2 draw.

Along with Ibrahimovic's ability is the good news that Alexandre Pato and Kevin-Prince Boateng are expected to be available after battles with injuries. With a speedy forward and menacing trequartista back, Milan will have a lot of firepower going into the first leg.

This is much better news than Milan dealt with last year. Last year's Last 16 side was injury plagued and fatigued. With a huge win and the return of key players, Milan have a lot of energy and confidence to run with on Wednesday.

Playing at home is also comforting for Milan. In Serie A and the Champions League combined, they have nine wins, three draws, and two losses at the San Siro and have outscored their opponents 30-8.

If Milan can grab a win and keep Arsenal off the board, whether it is the in-doubt Christian Abbiati or Marco Amelia, who stepped up and played a fantastic game against Udinese, Milan will be in prime position to take the fixture.

Bleacher Report and ESPN's Will Tidey ranks Milan as the third-most likely team to win the Champions League behind the Spanish duo Real Madrid and Barcelona. Given the way things are setting up for the club, there's no reason to doubt him. Speculation surrounds the club based on Champions League results in recent years, but with the return of key players and the boost of confidence from the Udinese match, this is Milan's fixture to lose.