MILAN, Feb 19: The veracity of AC Milan’s resurgence in Italy’s Serie A is set to be put to the test when Barcelona visit the San Siro Wednesday for the first-leg of a last-16 tie in the Champions League.

Milan had an awful start to the season and, lying 15th in the Serie A after eight matches, seemed to be heading for a relegation fight rather than a title battle. However, Milan have since climbed to third — although they are still 11 points behind leaders Juventus.

Barca poses Milan’s sternest test yet. They command a healthy double-digit lead in Spain’s La Liga and are well on course to recover the domestic title.

That means it can devote all its attention to Europe’s top competition as they searches for their fourth title in eight seasons.

“We’re doing well at the moment,” midfielder Riccardo Montolivo said. “I’ve grown and the team has grown compared to beginning of season, and the match comes at the best time.

“We know we’re facing the best team in world, with the best players in the world. We know it’s going to be tough but we can’t wait to get on the pitch because it will be a great match and a great test for us to measure ourselves against them.”

Although billed, by Milan, as a match between ‘the best of the world’ — Milan are seven-time European champions while Barcelona, four-time winners, are widely considered the strongest team in the world — the Spanish league leaders have the bragging rights.

Things have certainly changed since Milan outclassed Barcelona 4-0 in the 1994 final.

The Italians have won only one of 10 meetings since then, a 1-0 win at San Siro in 2004, and none of the last seven.

The teams have twice met in the knockout stages with Barcelona winning 3-1 on aggregate in last season’s quarter-finals and 1-0 on aggregate in the 2005-06 semi-final on their way to winning the title.

“We know they’re the strongest team in the world at the moment and we know what difficulties we’re going to face,” Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said.

“Against big teams like Milan, Real Madrid, they dominate possession, they have an average of 65 percent possession, we have to try to be good and limit that statistic. We have to be good when we have the ball because Barca defensively will concede something.”

Since the recent acquisition of striker Mario Balotelli, AC Milan have continued making up for their disastrous start. But because he played in this season’s competition with Manchester City, Balotelli is Cup-tied for the remaining Champions League fixtures.

That paves the way for the likes of Bojan Krkic, formerly of Barcelona, to step up for a game that will have special emotional significance as well as being a crucial step in Milan’s roller-coaster season.

“It is a different game, a special game for me but I don’t want to think too much about what feelings I have inside, I just want to concentrate on the game and on the 90 minutes of football that awaits us,” Bojan told acmilan.it.

“I have never played against Barcelona before and for that very reason this is more than just a game for me but all I want to do is help the team.”

Four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi looks unstoppable for Barcelona and his strike partner Pedro churned out the usual platitudes when he faced the Spanish media on Monday.

“Milan has always been difficult,” he said. “They have titles and a great history. It will be difficult, as it always is. They are always dangerous.”—Agencies