Henry looks to give Arsenal parting gift vs Milan

LONDON — Primed for a brief flirtation with the Champions League, Thierry Henry could give Arsenal the ideal parting gift by helping the English club to victory over AC Milan in the standout last-16 match in Europe's elite competition this week.

Wednesday's first leg at the San Siro will be Henry's last match in a relatively successful loan spell at Arsenal before he returns to the New York Red Bulls ahead of the new Major League Soccer season.

If the veteran French striker is looking for a perfect way to go, scoring at a ground where he claimed a hat trick for Arsenal against Inter Milan nine years ago wouldn't be too far off the mark.

"He finished the story of the legend in the championship," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said, after seeing Henry snatch a stoppage-time winner against Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday.

"I hope he will add some in the Champions League on Wednesday."

Milan has been eliminated at this stage of the Champions League by English clubs in three of the past four seasons, with Arsenal beating the Italian champions 2-0 at the San Siro in 2008 in its smooth passage into the last eight.

After a hiatus of two months since the end of the group stage, defending champion Barcelona will welcome the return of the Champions League as it prepares for a trip to Bayer Leverkusen.

Barca is struggling to live with a fierce pace set by archrival Real Madrid in the Spanish league, with Jose Mourinho's side 10 points clear at the top and already looking safe bets to reclaim the title.

However with the likes of Argentina maestro Lionel Messi and Spain playmaker Xavi Hernandez in its team, Barcelona still appears the side to beat in Europe as it goes in search of a fourth Champions League title in seven years.

"The Champions League is a prestigious competition, the most prestigious. We'll do everything to win it," Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said.

The other first-leg matches this week see French club Lyon host APOEL, the surprise package from Cyprus, on Tuesday while Benfica visits Zenit St. Petersburg on Wednesday.

Milan heads into the Arsenal match in high spirits, having regained its position atop Serie A with a 2-1 victory at Udinese on Saturday and with its lengthy list of absent players finally starting to relent.