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AC Milan host Barcelona in the best of the week’s UEFA Champions League matches with memories of the pair’s last few clashes at the San Siro flooding back.
Almost 5,000 Barca fans have travelled to the world’s fashion capital in eager anticipation as the two sides seek to play out a potential Group H decider with the winners and runners-up spot up for grabs.
When the big-wigs at UEFA headquarters drew up their ideas for an elite European Cup competition, these were the type of games in which they envisaged. Two giant European clubs who between them have bagged 11 European Cups are sure to put on a show.
If history is to be followed, than Wednesday night’s match shall be fiercely competitive, quality and engrossing; with the three matches detailed below evidence of what we can expect.
AC Milan 0-1 Barcelona; 1st Leg Semi-Final UEFA Champions League, 2006
AC Milan hosted Frank Rijkaard’s Ronaldinho-inspired Barcelona side in the first leg of the 2005/2006 Champions League semi-final.
In an edgy, if not thrilling affair, Ludovic Giuly’s ferocious volley sealed a 1-0 win for the Catalans who would then go on to draw 0-0 at the Camp Nou before beating Arsenal 2-1 in Paris to bag their second European Cup.
AC Milan 1-0 Barcelona; UEFA Champions League Group Stages, 2004/2005
A truly pulsating group stage match at the Giuseppe Meazza was settled by an early Andriy Shevchenko header.
But the match was an end-to-end affair with the visitors Barcelona hitting the Milan woodwork twice with the emerging Catalans also missing a hatful of chances.
AC Milan 3-3 Barcelona; UEFA Champions League Group Stages, 2000/2001
Barcelona striker Vitor Rivaldo was the star of the show as his sensational hat-trick grabbed an unlikely point for La Blaugrana who twice came from behind.
This was the season in which a plucky Leeds United side were paired in the same group as the two European superpowers and to everbody’s surprise, managed to pip Barcelona to the second qualification spot on Matchday 6 when David O’Leary’s side grabbed a 1-1 at the San Siro.
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