Champions League: Despite Drawing Barcelona, Don't Rule out AC Milan for Big Run

I live in the United States and I was on spring break, unwilling to wake up before 11 a.m. It's because of this that I didn't watch the draw for the quarterfinals and creation of the final bracket for the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League, which was on at 6 a.m. on the East coast. I knew when I woke up that my best friends, Twitter and Facebook, would give me the news about who AC Milan would be playing.

What I didn't expect was for the first word I saw that morning to be Barcelona. However, that is the way a draw works. The quarterfinal draw, where all bets are off and there are no rules about group alignment and domestic relation, is truly a "luck of the draw."

Some might not call it luck, drawing the defending European and world champions, the winner of the Champions League, the world's most elite sporting competition in three of the past six years.

It's a team with names like Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Puyol, Pique, and, of course, the three-time reigning world player of the year at only 24 years old, Lionel Messi.

It is a team with a 41-year-old coach who took only three years to break the legendary Johan Cruyff's record for most trophies as Barcelona manager by winning his 12th.

All that said, AC Milan should see it as an opportunity to send a message to the world.

The meetings between Milan and Barcelona on March 28th and April 5th will be the third and fourth of the season, as the two were rivals in Group H of the competition, playing each other to a draw and a Barcelona win.

Without star forward and former Barca frontman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Milan went into the Camp Nou as underdogs, and rightfully so in credit to the Blaugrana. However, 24 seconds in, Alexandre Pato scored the fifth-fastest goal in Champions League history.

After Barcelona struck twice to take the lead, which they did on an unstoppable free kick from David Villa, it looked clear that they would get off to a quick start in the quest for group supremacy. However, Thiago Silva's stoppage-time header gave Milan a share of the spoils.

In November at the San Siro, Barcelona controlled the game, as is common any time they take the pitch, but Milan refused to go away. An unfortunate deflection off Mark Van Bommel resulted in an own goal and a debatable penalty gave Barcelona their second goal before they added a third. Ibrahimovic and Kevin-Prince Boateng gave Milan reason for hope, as their goals kept the pressure on Barca all match.

Milan have only gotten better since those meetings. They currently hold a four-point lead over Juventus in Serie A and show no signs of slowing down.

While they fell to Arsenal 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium in the second leg of their Round of 16 matchup in the Champions League, Milan held strong defensively through the second half and protected their 4-3 lead, which started with a 4-0 win over the London club at the San Siro.

Ibrahimovic is on a tear this season. He is the first 20-goal scorer in Serie A for Milan since Andriy Shevchenko in 2003-04 and has five goals in the Champions League, scoring in nearly every match he's played.

Milan have the defensive capabilities to hold Barcelona.

Djamel Mesbah may have had a rough game at the Emirates, but it is one he can build on and the Algerian has the pace to challenge any attack from the left-back position.

The other flank will likely be avoided by Barcelona, as Ignazio Abate, with his speed and defensive prowess, is continuing to show why he has a claim as one of the best up-and-coming full-backs in the world.

Also reason for Milan to feel confident is that it is very hard to form a better centre-back duo than Alessandro Nesta and Thiago Silva.

Looking even farther into the attack, Milan have pace, talent and desire that has not been there in recent seasons.

If Kevin-Prince Boateng can return healthy and ready to go, Milan have a potential front five consisting of midfielders Antonio Nocerino and Urby Emanuelson, who have both performed exceptionally all season, Kevin-Prince Boateng at the trequartista, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho up front.

Forwards Alexandre Pato (likely to be fit in time for Barcelona) and Stephan El Shaarawy would come off the bench. With the youthfulness, pace, fitness, chemistry and incredible goal-scoring prowess in that front, Milan should be able to grab a few goals.

Barcelona will rightfully go into this fixture as favorites. It is very hard to bet against Barcelona at any point. They've done more in a few years than most clubs have ever done.

However, it is the Champions League. To be in the quarterfinals, you have to be elite. AC Milan are elite. While it is no longer the old guard of the team that won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007 leading the way, the talent needed to win the competition is there.

Go into this fixture keeping in mind that Barcelona are considered the world's best for a reason, but remember that Milan are right up there and can definitely knock off the mighty champions.