Barcelona vs. AC Milan: Lionel Messi and Players Who Must Shine in Second Leg

Barcelona star forward Lionel Messi is one of several players who must shine in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal fixture between Barca and Serie A side AC Milan.

The first leg at the San Siro on Wednesday ended in a goalless draw, but even though there were no goals scored, the match wasn't lacking entertainment.

Let's look at three players who must shine in the second leg at the Nou Camp for their respective clubs to earn a spot in the semifinals.

Robinho, AC Milan

The Brazilian forward had one of the best chances of the first leg when he shot a wide-open chance over Victor Valdes' goal.

Robinho also had a few other quality chances, but either missed the target or wasn't able to put enough accuracy on the shot.

Even though he was coming off a three-week injury, there is no excuse for a player of his caliber to miss so many quality scoring chances.

Robinho must lead the Milan attack in the second leg for the Italian club to upset the defending European champions.

Lionel Messi, Barcelona

Lionel Messi scored five goals in Barcelona's last Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16, but was unable to find the back of the net against the Milan defense.

Veteran center back Alessandro Nesta and left-back Luca Antonini did a brilliant job of limiting Messi's effectiveness throughout the match.

If Brazilian center back Thiago Silva can recover from his injury and return for the second leg, the Milan defense will be even better equipped to stop Messi.

If Barcelona want to advance to their fourth straight Champions League semifinal, they need a world-class performance from Messi in the second leg.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, AC Milan

The tall Swedish forward needs to play well in the second leg to help Milan reach the semifinal. With Robinho coming back after a long injury recovery and star forward Alexandre Pato still out with an injury, Ibrahimovic will be counted on to shoulder the scoring burden.

All of Ibrahimovic's chances on goal in the first leg were easily dealt with by Valdes and he was not much of a threat throughout the match.

The Milan star needs to look past his poor play in previous important Champions League matches and shut his critics up at the Nou Camp.

A poor performance by Ibrahimovic would severely decrease the chances that the Italian side upsets Barca.

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