Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has said that he and his Arsenal teammates are ready for the problems AC Milan - particularly Zlatan Ibrahimovic - will pose when the two sides meet in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Ibrahimovic has been in prolific goalscoring form so far this season, bagging 21 goals in 26 games, and Arsene Wenger has already highlighted the Swede as a threat.

However, Vermaelen believes that the time he spent with Ibrahimovic at Ajax could hold him in good stead when the two meet.

"When I was playing regularly, he had left already, but I had a lot of sessions with him when I was a young player," said the Belgian defender.

"I know his qualities, like everybody does. He is a strong and technical player, one of their main players, it is up to us as defenders to keep him quiet tomorrow."

Vermaelen has been at Arsenal since 2009, making 74 appearances and scoring 11 goals.