UEFA Champions League 2011/12: Serie A's Opponents Part 2, AC Milan's Group H

Times are hard in the world of calico, fresh off the back of the inevitable loss of its 4^th Champions League place (awarded to the Bundesliga), Italian football is struggling.

This week there was optimism as the valiant effort of Udinese showed that there is a forward thinking approach to football in Italy, and that the stereotypical catenaccio has long since died, even though many parts of the English press fail to realise.

The FIGC will be desperate for some success from Milan, Inter and Napoli in this season’s Champions League, as Le Championnat is not too far away from displacing Serie A as the 5^th strongest league in UEFA’s coefficient.

I will analyse the Italians’ groups and their prospects of qualification for the knock out phases, which would be so valuable to inspire a renaissance of calcio.

FC Barcelona, Spain

What is there to say that has not been said already? This could be the greatest club side of all time, and the bad news for Milan is that they are getting better.

Chilean Alexis Sanchez arrives from Udinese to pressurise Pedro Rodriguez and David Villa for a wide spot, and Cesc Fabregas has finally joined after a protracted move from Arsenal, and will surely fit in somewhere.

Fortunately for Milan they have avoided some tough 3^rd and 4^th seeds, that could have made the Barcelona fixtures crucial in terms of picking up points for qualification.

As it is, they can be thankful that they can avoid Barcelona in terms of an elimination tie until the quarter finals at least.

Danger man:

Lionel Messi

Choose one and you miss three or four more. But Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the man to stop. Shall we gawp at those statistics once more?

In his last 111 games for Barcelona the Argentine has smashed in 104 goals.

A scary statistic when you consider that he is a model professional capable of continuing this remarkable consistency for many years to come, being just 24-years-old at the moment.

Since we all know Messi, a player who we should keep a close eye on is Andreu Fontàs. Given that the group immediately suggests that Barcelona should have qualified by the end of game 4, and that Carles Puyol continues to struggle for fitness, an interesting proposition may unfold.

Yet another product of La Masia could be upon, as Pep Guardiola may opt to use Javier Mascherano a bit more in midfield and rest Sergio Busquets, thus handing an opportunity to Andreu Fontàs.

The Catalan is versatile, and as shown when Eric Abidal came in to the side, he can operate at left back. I envisage that Guardiola will slowly ease in the youngster, as even Gerard Pique has not exactly had a clean bill of health as of late.

BATE Borisov, Belarus

BATE are a very talented Belarusian side, who are a major part of the Belarusian revival at youth international level. The Borisov based side will be hoping they reap the rewards of some fine youth development.

As well as some good young home-grown players, the Belarusians contain a small contingent of Brazilians. Renan Bardini Bressan has been a particular success, having scored almost a goal every two games for the club since arriving in 2010.

This is a great opportunity to gain vital experience against Europe’s best, though with an unfortunate draw from pots one and two their goal will be to claim the Europa League spot and gain some vital experience along the way.

Danger man:

Maksim Shavysh is a potential star, the striking sensation is just 21 years old but has already played 68 times for BATE and notched 21 goals. Big things are expected of him having had great success with the U21 national team, claiming 28 caps in the process.

Viktoria Plzen, Czech Republic

The Czech champions shocked the Danish giants FC København, a surprise of last season’s Champions League, in the qualifiers. They pose a real threat to third seed BATE and hope to make life tough for the overwhelming favourites of the group.

The Czechs are a bit of an unknown quantity, having never featured at this stage, but they do possess a former Spurs loanee in David Limbersky.

Danger man:

Pavel Horvath is the man to watch. The captain, who has played 19 times for his country, is well travelled having played in Portugal, Turkey and Japan. He has now returned to finish his career in the Czech Republic. The midfielder scores plenty of goals, and will be integral to ensuring his side stay calm on the big stage.

Prediction: AC Milan to Finish Runners Up in Group H to Barcelona

It is asking a lot for this Milan side to win the group with Barcelona in such imperious form. I expect them to lose at the Camp Nou, and take a draw in the San Siro when the Blaugrana visit Milan.

The other four fixtures against BATE and Plzen should be a formality, but they wont. Milan tend to make a meal of these fixtures each year against weak third and fourth seeds, which is why I believe they will be runners up, even if they take four points from the two Barcelona games, as the Rossoneri are bound to drop some points away from home in the Czech Republic or Belarus.

A draw in Zurich, and a loss against the same opposition at home two years ago, suggests the smaller teams will not be overawed by the prospect of facing Milan.

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