By Nick Price
Friday's Champions League draw threw up two clashes that deserve top billing as in-form Arsenal were handed a test of their mettle against Serie A holders AC Milan, while Chelsea were paired with Manchester City conquerors Napoli.
Anglo-Italian clashes always whip up a deep-rooted English fear of conniving Catenaccio and elegant attackers gliding through defences, but it is the Premier League clubs that have bullied their Serie A rivals ever since Uefa changed the European Cup into the Champions League in 1992.
Indeed, the stats in Champions League matches between clubs of the two nations make for grim reading for Calcio aficionados as they show how vastly superior, in raw results at the business end of the competition, English football has become over the illustrious Italian game...
1.23– As easy as A, B, C... English clubs have racked up on average more than a goal a game (47 in 38 matches) when playing on Italian soil.
2– In nine attempts, only twice have Italian sides defeated English teams over two legs in the round of 16 (when AC Milan beat Manchester United 1-0 home and away in 2005 and when Jose Mourinho's Inter defeated Chelsea in 2010).
2– Number of games that have gone to penalties. On both occasions English teams were victorious: Liverpool in the 2005 final against Milan and Arsenal in the last 16 at Roma in 2009.
3 – Number of goals AC Milan put past Liverpool without reply by half-time in the 2005 Champions League final before they fell apart.
3 – On only three occasions (AC Milan over Manchester United in 2005 and 2007, and Inter over Chelsea in 2010) aside from finals has an Italian club knocked out a Premier League team in 16 two-legged face-offs – a success ratio of just 18.75 per cent for Serie A's finest.
4 – Most number of goals scored by an Italian team against an English side in a single game (Inter's 4-1 win over Newcastle at St James' Park in 2002).
5 – Greatest number of goals scored by an away side in a single game. This occurred when Thierry Henry inspired Arsenal to an incredible 5-1 victory over Inter at San Siro in the second group stage of the 2003-04 edition. The Gunners were without then first-team regulars Lauren, Patrick Vieira, Sylvain Wiltord and Martin Keown for the fixture and had to win to keep their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals alive.
5 – Juventus (from 18 games) and Inter (from 14) are Italy's most successful clubs against English opposition in the Champions League having both beaten them five times, nine wins fewer than Manchester United have over Serie A teams.
7 – Number of minutes it took Liverpool to go from 3-0 down to level in the 2005 final after Steven Gerrard pulled one back nine minutes after the restart – marking one of the lowest nights in the history of Calcio as AC Milan allowed Rafael Benitez's underdogs to mount the most famous comeback (and most spectacular collapse) in Champions League history.
7 – Manchester United hit a magnificent seven, the most goals scored by one team in an Anglo-Italian clash, past Roma in the second leg of their 2007 quarter-final before they were knocked out by AC Milan in the semis.
9 – Number of times English and Italian teams have been paired together in the round of 16 before Friday's draw pitted Chelsea against Napoli and Arsenal versus AC Milan. In 2009, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United were all given Italian jobs and all succeeded as they respectively dispatched Roma, Juventus and Inter.13 – Serie A sides have been dumped out of the Champions League in the knockout stages more than a dozen times by English opposition. The last contest between the two nations beyond the group stage saw a Premier League side triumphant yet again as Tottenham beat AC Milan in an ill-tempered first leg at San Siro before they held firm for a goalless draw at White Hart Lane in the return fixture.
14 – Manchester United are the most successful English team against Italian opponents, having won 17 and drawn five of their 35 games against Serie A sides in all competitions. Since the inception of the Champions League, they have won 14 of their 26 Anglo-Italian clashes and scored 43 goals.
21 – Number of drawn games, one of them being the 2005 Champions League final, between English and Italian clubs at all stages of the competition.
23 – Number of times Italian sides have beaten Premier League opponents in the Champions League – a paltry 29.4% win ratio.
30 – Clean sheets kept by English teams, which is seven more than the stereotypically stingy Italian defences have managed.
34 – Times English teams have beaten Serie A opposition at all stages – a 50% win ratio.
78 – Anglo-Italian matches since the first meeting – when Juventus played Manchester United – in the competition in 1996.
79 – Number of goals scored home and away by Italian teams.
108 – Total number of goals scored home and away by English teams against Italian clubs – an average of 1.38 a match.