UEFA Champions League 2011: AC Milan in Trouble Without Ibrahimovic vs. Barca
Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn't make the journey with his Rossoneri teammates to Camp Nou for the clash with Barcelona.
The loss of the 29-year-old Swedish striker and former Catalan player is a huge blow to AC Milan's chances of up-ending the defending champions.
He suffered an injury in training yesterday and will consequently miss out on a huge opportunity to battle with his former club.
The blow is especially devastating to AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri, as he is down to only two strikers now for the match against the world's most talented club.
Ibrahimovic, who has been capped 67 times by the Swedish national team, was slated to play up top alongside Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato or Italian Antonio Cassano.
But now the choice is clear, as the Rossoneri were already without Brazilian forward Robinho and super-veteran Pippo Inzaghi. Instead of picking a partner for Ibrahimovic, he now has his replacements playing alongside one another.
The Champions League Opener with Barca will be the toughest of the group matches for AC Milan, and with such an unfortunate blow coming at a late hour, their margin for error after this match is minimal.
BATE Borisov and Viktoria Pizen await Allegri's outfit after the tussle with Barcelona at Camp Nou.
The Catalan giants will feature a number of talented players, with none more impressive than Lionel Messi. But the hosting club is not nearly at full strength, either.
Starters Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique are out of the back line and super summer acquisition Alexis Sanchez is sidelined as well.
This gives hope to the Rossoneri, especially with Barcelona coming off a disappointing 2-2 draw with Real Sociedad in their second Primera Division game.
But hope can only do so much.
The loss of Ibrahimovic, along with the list of injuries, will be too much for the Italian club to overcome. Expect the Rossoneri to fight, but expect Barca to win.
