Gilberto Silva has looked ahead to next months
mouth-watering Champions League clash with AC Milan and says that
Arsenal respect the Rossoneri but dont fear them.
The Gunners were drawn with the reigning European Champions in what
many people believe to be the best tie of the last 16.
We have done our part in the group stage and now have a tremendous
challenge against AC Milan in the knockout stage, Gilberto told
uefa.com.
But you can't change opponents in a competition like the Champions
League, which is why I don't really think it was a huge issue for
us to have qualified in second place.
The same happened when we played Juventus in the quarter-finals a
couple of seasons ago and we managed to win. Milan have a great
squad but I also trust in Arsenal's potential.
No Easy Teams In Champions League
Arsenal finished second in their group behind Sevilla, and many
people believe that their failure to finish top could come back to
haunt them.
Gilberto disagrees however and says that every team in the
Champions League are tough, citing some less fashionable squads who
have done well in recent years.
The Champions League is tough for everybody, the Brazilian
continued.
That has been shown many times in games where so-called stronger
sides had to work their socks off to overcome the opposition, not
always successfully.
Villarreal made it to the semi-finals at their first attempt in
2006. The 2004 final was contested by Porto and Monaco, two sides
nobody imagined going that far.
You have to respect a team like Milan, who are the defending
champions and have so many talents onboard, but not fear
them.
Steven Gerrard
Finally Gilberto was asked who he believed to be the best English
midfielder currently playing in the Premiership.
Steven Gerrard, not only because of his ability and presence but
also due to the fact he is an amazing team player. Liverpool and
England are lucky to have him, concluded the 31-year-old.