The winter break is now upon us which means no Serie A action until January 8. What will we do now?

However, during this time there is at least one enticing encounter to look forward to; the 2012 Dubai Football Challenge which will see Milan take on Paris Saint-Germain.

It is a match that will see some former Serie A stars, like Javier Pastore and Jeremy Menez clash with the Milan’s current crop of Serie A stars such as like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pato and Robinho.

The competition will be hosted by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (I think there are a few more ‘Bin’s in his name) and no doubt both club sides will be encouraged to field their stars.

But, I would not expect two full-strength line-ups as the winter break is an important time for players to gather themselves and get some vital rest before the business end of the season. In addition, who really cares about competition that has more to do with marketing and business rather than sport and prestige.

Yet, even if a few players are rested, there will be some intriguing aspects to this match.

Firstly, there is Leonardo. I loyal Milanista for over a decade, first as player, scout and then coach, the Brazilian utterly betrayed the better half of Milan when he joined city rivals Inter. The name of Leonardo means nothing to me now.

It may be purely a corporate showpiece, but, given the fact that Leonardo will be amongst the PSG ranks when the two teams clash I would love nothing more than for Milan to thrash the ambitious French side.

There are potentially two more aspects to this game that could be intriguing for the Milan faithful.

There is the possibility that by January 4, which is when this tie takes place, Carlo Ancelotti could be the new coach of the French capital side after Antoine Kombouare was sacked this week.

This will bring together Milan and Ancelotti for the first time since July 24, 2009 when Ancelotti’s Chelsea defeated the Rossoneri 2-1 in the World Football Challenge hosted in the USA.

Lastly, this match could see Milan parade a new signing or two. Reports have been rife regarding a deal that could see Carlos Tevez move to the San Siro. The name of Fernando Torres has also been touted along with names such as Riccardo Montolivo and Ganso.

However, if there is one deal that looks likely it is the one that will make Tevez a Rossonero. City have been adamant that they want to sell him; Milan only want to loan him. Talks are on-going this week between the representatives of the two clubs and should Milan make the promise that the English side want; which is to give their word that they will buy the Argentine outright at the end of the season, then Tevez really could be on his way to Milan.

Should a deal be reached over Tevez then he will surely play in the Dubai Challenge as Max Allegri will be eager to give his new star as much playing time as possible considering his almost complete lack of action for the best part of the three months.

The 2012 Dubai Challenge may be a complete waste of time in many respects. But, given the subplots and potential subplots that will underlie the match, I suspect many Milanisti will be tuning in to watch the game. I will.