Gio shows respect for Rossoneri

FC Barcelona's Giovanni van Bronckhorst is full of praise this week for all three of the Spanish club's remaining rivals in the UEFA Champions League, showing to both Arsenal FC and Villarreal CF along with his obvious high regard for Tuesday night's foes AC Milan.

I know that some commentators were saying after the UEFA Champions League semi-final draws were made that we had the toughest of the ties, but that isn't an expression that I'm very comfortable with. All the teams that have made it to this stage deserve to be here and have shown that they can perform at the very highest level.

So close
AC Milan are one of the best teams in Europe but both Arsenal and Villarreal have had great tournaments and no team is going to give anything less than 100 per cent when you are one small, but very difficult, step from the biggest club final in the world. When you are involved in competitions like this in the latter stages there is no room for words like 'weak'.

Little doubt
Having said that, it's our job to forget about everything apart from AC Milan. There is little doubt that they are a side with all the experience necessary to cope with the demands of such an important tie. Nearly every player in their first choice lineup has won the UEFA Champions League and that is something we have to be aware of the whole time.

Very experienced
Like Barcelona, they are also a very experienced club. When you have that behind you it gives you confidence to live up to the history of your club and to be a worthy successor to great teams in the past. Milan have never lost a semi-final of the UEFA Champions League and they will be desperate not to be the first side in the club's history to do so. But our aim is to reverse that trend and I believe we have the team to do it.

Strong defence
Milan play a more open and attacking game than a lot of other top Italian sides, but they are also very strong at the back and can defend in depth when they need to. Like us as well they can switch between the two systems very easily. They may give you a little bit more space to play than some other Italian sides, but they don't really leave any gaps as such. Milan have a strong work ethic and they have the mark of a very good team in that they can win games even when they are not playing at their best.

Midfield key
It is probably up front that they are most impressive. There are also great players in midfield who can pose a threat on goal like Kaká. There are no obvious weaknesses. Both sides have strong attacking options and solid defences and I have a feeling that whoever can dominate in the midfield will have the upper hand.

Great spirit
One of the most important things will be to play the game the way we always try to, enjoying it and relishing the experience. One of the keys to this team's success so far has been the great spirit and joy we have playing good football. I don't have a secret formula for winning against Milan but if we can go out and enjoy it I think we have a very good chance.