AC Milan: 10 Reasons the Champions League Will Be Won by the Rossoneri

AC Milan have been on an upward curve since Massimiliano Allegri arrived at the club.

Last season, the former Cagliari manager secured the Scudetto in impressive fashion and transformed the side from what some were calling an "old" team to a rejuvenated side now seen as formidable in Serie A and with even greater goals this season.

It has been an impressive campaign thus far in the Champions League, with a resilient display at the Camp Nou against the reigning champions Barcelona, where they scraped a 2-2 draw with a last-minute Thiago Silva header.

Milan easily outclassed both Plzen and Bate at home, but a lapse in concentration away to the Belorussians costed them all three points in a 1-1 draw despite dominating the game.

Wednesday was the crunch match at home to Barcelona, and despite losing the match, the Rossoneri made it clear that they have the credentials to win this competition.

Here is why.

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza Can Be the 12th Man with Sensational Atmosphere

Everybody knows that the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known to foreigners as the San Siro, is a phenomenal stadium and among the best in Europe.

When the big matches come in the knock out phases, we can expect a similar atmosphere to what was created when Barcelona came to town this week.

The stadium can be an intimidating place to play football, and despite coming out on top, Barcelona were clearly stifled, and that is no mean feat.

The Rossoneri can clearly impose themselves on any side at home, provided, if the draw is kind, they reach the quarterfinals, as it seems likely their first knock game will have the second leg away. Milan could be able to turn any tie around with a second leg at home.

Abbiati Is Finally the Dependable Goalkeeper They Need

Christian Abbiati is now comfortable in his role as the Rossoneri No. 1 after proving his worth to the side in recent months.

Abbiati has consistently saved the side at crucial moments with miraculous saves, which is a crucial part to any side that wants to win this competition.

Abbiati is also athletic enough, despite his 6'3" frame, to be able to stretch for illusive crosses, which means that Allegri can set up his defence how he likes.

Abbiati finally gives flexibility to the defence, as he will be able to claim crosses and react quickly off his line to delicate through balls if they want to set up with a deep lying defence.

There is also the option now to keep a high line, with the athleticism of Thiago Silva, Ignazio Abate and to an extent Luca Antonini, combined with Abbiati's quick mindedness, displayed this season to come out of his area when necessary to clear the danger.

Injured Players Are Coming Back Fast

Milan have been plagued by injuries this season, and it is to their credit that they have secured Champions League qualification while also maintaining their place in the upper echelons of Serie A.

Philippe Mexes and Gennaro Gattuso have been out for long spells, but both are said to be on the verge of re-entering the fold.

Clarence Seedorf, Kevin Prince Boateng, Massimo Ambrosini, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexandre Pato and Robinho have all been out for at least four games in a row at some point this season.

Milan have dealt with those injuries admirably with a very deep squad.

The team can only get stronger as the squad gets healthier.

No Fear in Finishing Runners-Up in Group H

Milan cannot have any fears about the next phase due to finishing second.

In fact, it seems to be no tougher than the opponents they could face if they had topped the group.

Combine this with the experience of playing the toughest team they will likely face in Europe twice already this season, Milan should be in a far better situation to approach the first knockout round of the competition that many others.

Teams like Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal and Apoel Nicosia are potential opponents in the next round who the Rossoneri would relish facing over two legs.

Add in the factor that they cannot face Barcelona until the quarterfinals means that one of their rivals for the title could be dumped out by Barcelona by the next round.

Players with Points to Prove: Ibrahimovic, Pato, Robinho

Any side that wants to win trophies need players who have that fire in their bellies.

The hunger, desire and determination to overcome all obstacles and prove something.

Milan have plenty of champions, but they also have those who have yet to silence all critics or yet to experience what it is like to be European Champion.

Immediately, one thinks of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has many critics who constantly say that he fails to show up in the big games.

Ibrahimovic will not care about those critics, but he will relish the stage that Milan can put him on to justify what he almost certainly believes, that he is the best striker in world football.

Others who have extraordinary talent but have yet to reach the pinnacle of what their talent would suggest they can achieve would be the two Brazilians, Alexandre Pato and Robinho.

The former, signed from Porto Alegre as an 18-year-old, has had his young career blighted by injuries, but if he can stay healthy, he is surely capable of helping deliver another European Cup to this side.

The latter, former Santos, Real Madrid and Manchester City star, has really struggled to assert himself in the Champions League, with Real Madrid going through a poor spell in the competition while he was with them and Manchester City not qualifying while he was at the club.

Another talent who possess the ability to be part of a Champions League winning XI is Thiago Silva, who is now renowned as one of the best central defenders in the world, his ultimate ambition in club football must be to win this competition, and Milan are fortunate to have a group that are talented enough but also possess a hunger due to some not winning it before.

Massimiliano Allegri Has Learned from Last Year

Massimiliano Allegri has made a meteoric rise to the elite of European football management after getting his break after the departure of Leonardo from the Rossoneri.

Last, he developed a side capable of winning the Scudetto and outsmarted most of the sides in the league.

When Milan reached the 1/8 finals against Spurs last season, Allegri froze in the first leg, as he failed to make use of the home advantage.

It is certain the Italian will have learnt from that experience and will be able to be more positive in front of the San Siro faithful.

His tactics away from home were very smart against Spurs, and his side dominated proceedings, which is a positive sign ahead of the knockout round approaching.

This was further proven this season against Barcelona, as he stunned the Blaugrana early with the ball in behind to expose the high line through Alexandre Pato. 

From then on, Barcelona took the initiative, but that is to be expected, Milan had a goal to defend at that point.

With the ability to shut a game down and counter with extreme pace, Allegri has the tools available to manoeuvre past the knock out rounds.

Proven Champions in Abundance in the Squad

Milan possess some very experienced champions who will help them in the clutch moments of Champions League ties when the team will need more than talent to overcome some of the best sides in Europe.

Mark Van Bommel, Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Ambrosini, Clarence Seedorf, Filippo Inzaghi, Alessandro Nesta, Gianluca Zambrotta, Daniele Bonera and Christian Abbiati have all won the Champions League.

This will be crucial, as there is no doubt when Milan reach the biggest games, they will not crumble as some sides who are novices at this level might do.

Formidable Attacking Options, the Impact of Tevez?

AC Milan have some phenomenal attacking talent.

Not many sides can claim to have a the options of fielding talent like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Alexandre Pato.

Antonio Cassano was another super talent at Massimiliano Allegri's disposal until his heart problems.

There is the mercurial talent of Stephan El Shaarawy and the proven goal scoring ability of Filippo Inzaghi too.

But what about the possibility of Carlos Tevez arriving?

Sure, he would be cup tied for the Champions League, but the Argentine would be able to provide Milan the option to rest somebody like Pato, who is so fragile and prone to injuries, meaning they could tackle the intense games in Serie A without burning out or putting some of their most important difference makers in the attacking third at risk of injuries.

Tevez would of course be capable of spearheading the Rossoneri on the domestic front, leaving Allegri to be able to use his other attacking weapons in isolation in regard to the Champions League, a major advantage.

There would not be another side in Europe who could have interchangeable world class strikers for different competitions like Milan would be able to do.

Huge Depth at Centre Back

Philippe Mexes has been arguably the best defender in Serie A over the last three seasons or so.

The former Roma man is currently injured, but will be back soon, and Milan will have a top class player to rotate around the best defensive partnership in Italy last season: Thiago Silva and Alessandro Nesta.

With Daniele Bonera and Mario Yepes, there is more depth that can take care of business during the league games in and around the Champions League ties.

To have a fresh Thiago Silva and Nesta at Allegri's disposal for the crunch knockout games will be a major bonus, and when you consider how vital away goals are, having those two rested without compromising the defence in the league is a wonderful thing to have.

Champions League Favourites Nothing to Be Afraid of

The Champions League favourites ahead of Milan (at 25/1) with the bookmakers are:

Arsenal (20/1): A side that traditionally falters at the business end of the season and also so dependent on star striker Robin Van Persie means that come the crunch time in the Champions League, Arsenal will almost certainly be fighting to stay in the Champions League. The likelihood that Arsenal can hit their peak at this time is remote.

Chelsea (18/1): How can Milan fear a Chelsea side that cannot even guarantee their manager will be with them next week?

Man Utd (12/1): Strong as always, but defence is vital in this competition, and Utd's seems to be cracking after years of solidarity.

Bayern Munich (7/1): A very strong side, but again, they are vulnerable at set pieces, as Napoli proved at the Allianz Arena, and the Bavarian giants do not look half the team without their talisman Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Real Madrid (3/1): There is no doubt that they will be battling out the title in Spain throughout the Champions League knockout rounds, and this will have a detrimental effect on the side in Europe.

Barcelona (7/4): Milan have shown in the group stage they can mix it with the favourites, and on another night, they might have won Wednesday's game.

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