Champions League First Round Second leg, 7.45pm, ITV4, bet here

When Iain Dowie took over as manager of Charlton in 2006, he described his team’s home game against Manchester United as “the ultimate test.” Considering that it came just two games into the season, pedants could be forgiven for carping about his choice of “ultimate”, but Mr Dowie wasn’t far wrong - he was kicked out the door just a few games later. Type “ultimate test” into Google, however, and three of the top ten answers refer to Arsenal’s near-Biblical contest in Milan this week - still not quite the battle at the end of the world between good and evil, but not so far off, because you can’t win the big one without disposing of Italians.

Since Milan were the last team to win the European Cup in consecutive seasons in 1990, there have only been two seasons in which there were no Italian teams in the quarter finals. In every other season, the Cup has either been won by an Italian team, or by the team who has beaten the last remaining Italian team, with just three exceptions. And in those years the cup was won by the team who beat the team who beat the last remaining Italian side. If this all sounds a bit begat and begot, have some more: in the last five seasons, the trophy has either been won by Milan (twice) the team who beat Milan (twice) or the team who beat the team who beat Milan (once). Moral being, Mr Wenger, if you want to be the ultimate anything, you’ve got to beat Milan. Good luck.

The statistics

* A Wenger-managed side has never led in Italy at half-time.

* Arsenal are yet to concede the first goal of a game this season.

* chickendiner long overdue streak: Adebayor has netted twenty-two times this season, but has yet to score in Europe.

For more statistics on this match, click here.