Report: AC Milan leave big name out of Champions League squad to face Tottenham

According to a report from the Daily Mail, AC Milan have left Zlatan Ibrahimovic out of their Champions League squad for the knockout stages of the competition, meaning he will not face Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16 later this month.

Tottenham finished top of their Champions League group at the end of last year, and were drawn against Serie A giants AC Milan for the second round of the tournament.

(Photo by Kristian Skeie – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

The first leg of the tie will be played at the San Siro on February 14, with the reverse fixture taking place in North London on March 8.

AC Milan may be off the pace in Serie A, with a huge gap between them and top-of-the-table Napoli, but there are still multiple threats in the AC side. One such threat would ordinarily be Ibrahimovic, but the striker has struggled with injuries of late.

The Swedish star has been with AC Milan since arriving on a free transfer from LA Galaxy in January of 2020. This is his third spell with the Italian club, having spent time on loan there in the past and enjoying a successful permanent stay between 2011 and 2012.

Ibrahimovic may be 41 years old now, but he still possesses great talent and an eye for goal. He has 492 goals in 815 appearances across his career, with 92 of those goals coming for AC Milan (Transfermarkt).

He has yet to feature for AC Milan this season as he recovers from the knee surgery he underwent in the summer. With this in mind, manager Stefano Pioli has decided not to include Ibrahimovic in his squad for the latter stages of the Champions League.

Spurs Web Opinion

No matter how old he is or what his fitness levels are like, it’s always a relief not to see Zlatan stepping on the pitch to face your team. Milan have some good players, but I fancy our chances against them.

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