Two historic teams in European football will face off in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The Italians have qualified for the semis 11 times from 14 attempts, Barça have qualified 11 times out of 13 attempts
Here are all the facts and stats surrounding tomorrow’s quarter-final match:
This will be the third match against AC Milan this season. In the first two games, Barça beat Milan at the San Siro (2-3) and drew at the Camp Nou (2-2)
The last Champions League tie against the Italian side ended with FC Barcelona crashing out of the competition. It was against Inter Milan in the 2009/10 season (3-1 in Milan and 1-0 at the Camp Nou)
The last time Barça faced off against an Italian side in the quarter-finals was in the 2003/04 season. The Catalans were eliminated by Juventus (1-1 in Turin and 1-2 at the Camp Nou)
Barça are in the hunt for their fifth consecutive semi-final berth; only Real Madrid have managed to qualify five times in a row in the continental competition (1955/56 through 1959/60)
The last AC Milan victory over Barça was on October 20 2004, when the Italians won 1-0 in the Group Stage at the San Siro
Milan’s record in the quarter-finals is fearsome. In 14 matches, they’ve won 10 and drew 4. They’ve never lost a game at home in this round of the competition
In total, AC Milan have qualified for the semi-finals 11 times from 14 attempts. Barça’s record is superior: they’ve qualified 11 times out of 13 attempts
FC Barcelona have won their last six matches away from the Camp Nou in the Champions League
Playing in Italy, Barça’s balance is five victories, six draws and five defeats
Tomorrow’s most notable absence will be Thiago Silva. The Brazilian scored the equaliser at the Camp Nou in the Group Stage (2-2) this year
Mark van Bommel will also miss the match. The player is suspended
Both Nocerino (AC Milan) and Carles Puyol (Barça) are a yellow card away from suspension
Another ex-Barça player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is the player that has committed the most fouls in the competition (22)
Leo Messi is the player with the most goals (12) and the player with the most shots on goal (26) in this edition of the Champions League
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