Dostoevsky wrote:Abiatti

Abate---Nesta---Silva---Zambrotta

Van Bommel---Mexes

Antonini---Ambrosini---Emanuelson

Bonera


Gattuso as the super-sub.

Come at us

In all seriousness though I think that a repeat of Inter's group stage performances against Barcelona may well be in order, a draw at home, though I think 1-1 more likely than Inter's 0-0 and a loss in Spain would be the safest bet. In much the same way as Inter, Milan shouldn't be too worried about these fixtures beyond ensuring our pride and they should be used as learning curves. Beating Barcelona in the group stages doesn't get you any closer to the trophy, if we can beat them it should be a surprise in the latter stages. It's a great litmus test, however both sides will likely not yet be at their peak and we'll still be learning how to play them. Allegri will be up against the wall from the beginning with our campaign beginning in the Camp Nou, however he learns from each mistake he makes so expect the team to get progressively better from half time in Spain.

The emphasis people put on our midfield weakness baffles me. Yes, we have a worse midfield than Barcelona. Then again, every other club has a worse midfield than Barcelona. However, I'd not go so far as to say we're definitely losing the midfield battle. Fact is Seedorf is a unique player who on his day, is on par with any midfielder, past on present. True, his good days don't come too often, but he does relish the big matches. Also we have Van Bommel, who can shut down a midfield like the boss he is. I expect him to shine against Barcelona. Aquilani will also want to prove himself, so expect good performances from him coming.

However, let's agree that Barcelona will win the midfield battle, and they enjoy a lot of possession. What are they going to do? Score? Silva and Nesta are a great defensive duo, and with help from Abate, Zambrotta and Van Bommel, I can see Barcelona having great trouble in the final third. Also, we might even opt to play Ambro to render almost all their attacks impotent.

While their attack is excellent, our defense is excellent too, and far beyond what they're used to in Spain. A deep defensive line with hard fighting midfielders is almost unheard of in Spain. Inter defeated them using the same tactic, and I think we can do the same.

As for their defense, it's good, but like previous posters said, it's more of a team effort, the way the team plays their possession game which leads them to not conceding goals. Fair enough, but we do have Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Pato, three immensely talented forwards who can score from practically anywhere. These guys don't need a whole lot of space, nor a whole lot of control of the ball. They can just score, without actually being in a good position to score. This mostly goes for Ibra, who I'm sure will want to prove something. I'd say Ibra magic can bring us a good result. He out-muscules their defense while still being a threat, which means they'll look to put as many people on him as possible, leaving space for Pato and Robinho. And you know what happens when you give them space.

Important thing to note is that Valdes has never been a great keeper and he isn't now. He isn't even a good keeper, as far as I'm concerned. Abbiati on the other hand, is in excellent form. Even in the case that the defense fails, he can stop sure goal. Happened a few times last season.

Last, but not least, we have Inzaghi