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 stand-out 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 have 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 their smooth passage into the last-eight.
The other first-leg matches on Wednesday sees Benfica visit Zenit St. Petersburg.
Milan head into the Arsenal match in high spirits, having regained their position atop Serie A with a 2-1 victory at Udinese on Saturday and with their lengthy list of absent players finally starting to relent.
Christian Abbiati, Alessandro Nesta, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Alexandre Pato and Mathieu Flamini have all returned to training and are likely to be available, while Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is back from a domestic ban.
"We really want it," Milan goalkeeper Marco Amelia said. "In the last few years, we have always gone out against an English team. We want to do well, the Champions league gives you really great feelings."
Unlike Milan, Arsenal aren't competing for their domestic title but have the Premier League's topscorer in Netherlands striker Robin van Persie.
The London club, who should start with Henry on the bench despite his heroics at Sunderland, will be without Per Mertesacker after the Germany defender damaged ankle ligaments at the weekend.
Wenger is keen to grab an away goal ahead of the return leg at Emirates Stadium in three weeks.
"The European system is organized to reward audacious action away from home," he said. "When you go away in the Champions League, you have to score. The best way to score is play in an offensive way and we will try to do that."
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