AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is relishing the chance to face former team Barcelona on Wednesday. The tall Swede missed the opening match at the Nou Camp in September,a 2-2 draw,because of injury. I was looking forward to that match, Ibrahimovic said. I was disappointed,but for me playing against a former team is nothing personal. Of course its emotional,a big game,but in the end its like any other game. Theres no need to over-hype it. Ibrahimovic spent only one season at Barcelona after a much-hyped move from Inter Milan in 2009 in a deal which saw Samuel Etoo go the other way. A 1-1 draw against BATE Borisov last time out saw Milan lose ground in the race for first place in Group H. Milan is two points behind Barcelona with two games left to play. Both teams are already through to the knockout stage. Barcelona extended its unbeaten start to the season to 20 games with a 4-0 win over Zaragoza on Saturday. Midfielder Andres Iniesta has a bruised left thigh and will not travel to the San Siro as a precautionary measure. Barcelona is also without fullback Adriano and the suspended Daniel Alves. Pedro Rodriguez could play for the first time in a month after recovering from an ankle sprain. Elsewhere,Arsenal will be looking to seal a place in the next round with a win against Borussia Dortmund. The Gunners,who missed the chance two weeks ago when they were held to a 0-0 draw against Marseille,are on a run of five straight Premier League wins. But Dortmund is on a high after a 1-0 win at Bayern Munich on Saturday and desperate to prolong its interest in the tournament. Ballacks landmark In his 100th European appearance,Michael Ballack has a chance to lead Bayer Leverkusen into the knockout round with a win over former club Chelsea. Ballack played the most Champions League matches for Chelsea 33 but has the most goals for Leverkusen 9. He also has five Europa League games for Leverkusen. APOEL Nicosia needs only a draw against Zenit in St. Petersburg to become the first Cypriot team to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. APOEL is unbeaten in four matches and leads Group G with eight points,one ahead of Zenit. In another group match,FC Porto must win at Shakhtar Donetsk to keep its chances alive.
