As reported today by La Gazzetta dello Sport, if there is one club in Italy that is synonymous with Europe, it is AC Milan. Of course, Pioli's team is still far from the great Rossoneri teams of the past, both in terms of experience and technical ability, but an experience like this, as already happened last year and this year up to the round of 16 against Tottenham, can help to recover the traces of an ancient Rossoneri DNA closely linked to the tradition of the Champions League. AC Milan will have to find themselves again if they want to give anyone who comes out of the draw today a hard time: they will have to revive that "European" Milan of Stefano Pioli that played with lightness, unpredictability, speed and fantasy, which has been lost a bit in this 2023 but glimpses of which were seen in the double match against Spurs. The key will be to unleash the potential devastation of the left flank with Theo and Leao, as relayed by Milan News.
At this point in the competition, every pairing is to be taken with caution and carries its share of pitfalls, but also some aspects to be turned to one's advantage. If we look at the names of the possible opponents, it is automatic to exclude the three teams considered the best and that everyone would absolutely want to avoid: Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. The English have Guardiola's innovative ideas and an attack led by a robot like Erling Haaland; the Germans are a Teutonic-style armored vehicle with a young and irreverent coach; the Spanish are the lords of Europe and have the plus of Ancelotti on the bench, a master of the competition. Very strong teams, but they still have weaknesses.
Then there is Benfica, an unpredictable team that entertains, and Chelsea, an unknown quantity with a pharaonic squad but still needs to find the right cohesion. Needless to say, the possibility of an Italian derby on both sides is daunting for the load of tensions (especially against Inter), but exciting if we think about how well the home opponents know each other and the fact that one of them could have a place in the semifinals.
