Arsenal and AC Milan will meet on Wednesday in what seems to be the pick of the Round of 16 matches in the Champions League. What makes it more appealing is the very light odds of 3/1 on Arsenal to win in Milan.

Older defenders like Nesta and Zambrotta will have to roll back the years if they will be able to keep up with Arsenal's speedy wingers

Will Milan's old defence be able to deal with Arsenal's speed?

Arsenal’s Speed too Much for Aged, Creeping Milan

Did you see what I did there? Aged Creeping Milan… AC Milan. Oh well, my apologies. But it is true. The AC Milan team is not a young team, something that Arsenal’s style of football will thrive against. The Milan defence right now has only one player younger than 29; the left side in particular will be vulnerable if Walcott can consistently run at Zambrotta.

The tacical facts make it clear that Arsenal should have a lot of chances against the ‘i Rossoneri.’ It should also be reminded that Arsenal have won on both visits to the San Siro (5-0 against Inter and 2-0 versus AC Milan). It is for this reason that the 3/1 price chalked up by BetVictor and Willian Hill emphasises great value.

The draw is the least Arsenal should get out of this situation. If Arsenal dominate the game and AC Milan play a little scared and quite deep, it could easily stalemate the match up. You also have to reckon that if Arsenal can sneak a goal then Milan’s top players are likely to become inspired and could easily equal the standings with Arsenal’s defence being a little inconsistent. The draw is priced up at 12/5 by Bet Victor.

I am not underestimating AC Milan. I know they are the Italian Champions. Players like van Bommel, Ibrihamovic and Robinho speak for themselves in regards to the quality they can showcase. Milan have more proven ability, home advantage but their lack of speed and old-aged players will allow Arsenal to counter-attack and put the Milan players under constant pressure.

Theo Walcott has a nice match-up on Wednesday against a slow, old Zambrotta. He is 14/1 to score first!

Walcott 14/1 to Score First

“Walcott is how much to Score First?”

If you buy into the idea that Arsenal’s speed will trouble Milan then Walcott to score first is something to consider. Arsenal’s speed will be too much for AC Milan to deal with right from the start. No team in the Serie A plays like this and they could easily be caught out early on. Walcott to score first is chalked up at 14/1 by BetVictor and should be considered if you agree that speed will be Milan’s achilles heel.

Apart from the other obvious first goal scorers (van Persie, Pato and Ibrahimovic), Oxlade-Chamberlain is another very fast player that could catch out Milan’s slow defence early on. He is continuing to impress and will need to be on form as he has a tougher match up than Walcott does. The 18-year-old is 12/1 on to score first by Bet 365. A great price in my opinion although remember that he is inexperienced.

I got my journalism degree from Mississippi State University and have been offering advice on many sports for a fair few years now. I started off offering tips on tennis during the big tournaments (I played a lot as a junior) and really enjoyed helping out my Dad with tips.

After doing this for a few years, I realised that looking for value could be found in other sports that I enjoyed such as darts, snooker and football. This led to many accumulators no matter what the sport and then offering on advice on anybody that asked.

I am looking forward to putting my ideas down on paper and always appreciate comments from the reader.

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