Row in with Robinho to stike first in AC Milan's Champions League clash with BATE Borisov
Barcelona and AC Milan look poised to all but book their places in the knockout stages of the Champions League this evening when they face Viktoria Plzen and BATE Borisov respectively. The match at the San Siro may not be quite as one-sided as the one at the Camp Nou, but the Rossoneri should ultimately have far too many guns for the Belarusian champions.
Viktor Goncharenko’s charges have been found wanting defensively in a major way in this tournament following just two matches – they’ve shipped six goals already – and while AC’s record of just two wins in their last 10 home matches in this competition at the Giuseppe Meazza is uninspiring, they go into this match on the back of a thoroughly convincing victory over Palermo in Serie A at the weekend, and they’ve kept clean sheets in three of their last four games in all competitions.
The home side will be buoyed by the return of striker Alexandre Pato who has been sidelined with a thigh injury in recent weeks. Kevin-Prince Boateng, Gianluca Zambrotta, Mario Yepes and Massimo Ambrosini are all back in the mix, too, though veteran midfielder Clarence Seedorf, Thiago Silva and Mathieu Flamini are on the easy list at present, while Gennaro Gattuso is serving a suspension.
Massimiliano Allegri may opt to start Pato on the bench, particularly as Robinho shone on his return from injury during the Palermo match; the Brazilian was on the scoresheet in that 3-0 victory, and rates a good bet at 4-1 with bet365 and Paddy Power to open the scoring tonight in a clash that should result in a straightforward victory for the Italian champions.