Barcelona -vs- AC Milan (ALL comments)

Matchday 4 is in six days. No doubt the most attractive match will be that between Barca and Milan, currently two of the best European teams.

We won the first match 1-0, even though many say they deserved a draw (I can't say myself since I didn't watch that match). We all know Milan plays to win everywhere, so I am expecting a very open game in Spain. Hopefully we can win 3 points that will assure us, once again, an early first place qualification....we can do it and we will do, 'cause we are Milan.

Barca, beware, we are coming!


please post all your comments here....and Haroon, I hope you will delight us once again with your usual preview

4 clean sheets in a row, we got our confidence back. Bring on the spectacle.

Well, we rested Cafu, Rui and Kaladze against Samp, while Pirlo and Sheva played only some minutes in the second half....so I expect all these 5 to start against Barca.

Barca is having troubles with the injuries. For that reason their 'stars' like Eto'o and Ronaldinho don't have a single day for rest. They will be tired soon and that means a better probability to at least achieve a draw

I just saw them play vs Bilbao and we'll roll over them if they play like that on Tuesday.

we will roll over them. 2-0 for us. sheva and crespo, if he plays.

If, and this is a big if, we consider this to be an important game and are determined to win it, I just don't see how Barca would stop us from doing it. The home game at the San Siro was a much trickier one from tactical point of view. I believe that being visitors will make our task easier btu again - only if we want it for I guess, at this stage, Serie A should be our primary goal for Milan must not let Juve get too far away.

UEFA Champions League

FC Barcelona Vs. AC Milan

Estadio Camp Nou, Barcelona - ESPAŇA

---Matchday 4 - Group F---

-> Tuesday (November 2, 2004)

-> Kick-off -> 19:45 (UK Time): Sky Sports Xtra




PREVIEW
======

The conclusion of the BIG ONE takes place in the gigantic mammoth stadium that is the CAMP NOU in Barcelona! The "five star" stadium that is one of most recognized stadia in the world and an icon of football stadia along with the San Siro, Maracana & Wembley will host AC Milan for the return leg. The same AC Milan that has the upper hand over Barcelona in competitive games for a long period and the same Milan that once again conjured up a win on Matchday 3 against the odds. The last time FC Barcelona defeated AC Milan in a competitive game was in 1959 FC Barcelona faces the one club which has been a living nightmare for it throughout its history. Barcelona will be aiming to defy history and turn a new page in a bid to defeat their nemesis . It is a burden of history on the shoulders of Barcelona as the Italian outfit has somehow always ended up with the smile whenever these sides meet.

The Blaugrana will be hoping that Rijkaard's assembled offensive machine can get the job done this time and reduce on the mistakes that cost them the match at the San Siro! Two of Europe's biggest are at it again in Europe's largest arena in the Match of the Round to finish what they started a fortnight ago!


B A R C E L O N A

This time Barcelona has the home advantage and it is safe to say that the Nou Camp will be packed to the rafters with a capacity crowd of 98,000 to create one of the most awesome atmospheres that is seen in football. It comes from the passion of the people of Catalunya which is expressed in the colourful Nou Camp for big nights as this. The Devil is coming to Town and a fiery reception is in order.

Barcelona will try to utilize their full pitch which is one of the biggest ones in world football to try and spread out the Rossoneri outfit and thereby create space for their adventurous cavalier play. Rijkaard's first plan of action will be to reduce Milan's compactness to enable his players to make room for their play. Second move will be to improve on the crossing which was horrendous for large parts of the first encounter and thirdly will be to make the most of the chances and finish off the game. Barcelona will rue their missed chances in the first leg that could've given a different complexion to the result. In such games a team has to make the most of whatever chance it gets


M I L A N

The team has been steadily improving and started to keep clean sheets again which is an ominous sign for Barcelona. However I don't think that Milan will keep a clean sheet in this game. Milan will have to play out of their skins to keep a clean sheet in the Nou Camp and shut out shop against Barcelona for two games in a row It is highly unlikely and the absence of Stam who was a monster in the first episode will be a blow.

Milan has fond memories of this mammoth stadium where 90,000 Milan fans turned up to see Milan beat Steaua Bucharest in the European Champions Cup final in 1989. A mesmeric evening for every Milanista and a memorable evening for the spectators. :shades:

Milan has to be up on its toes to come out of this game with points in the bag. A blinder is required by someone to step up and become an obsessed man to turn the game on its head.

Milan's record in Spain has been pretty good upto the last two visits. It used to be Milan's favourite destination for scalps but the last two visits to Spain have resulted in a 3-1 and 4-0 loss to Real Madrid CF and RC Deportivo La Coruna. Hence a country where Milan has traditionally enjoyed and thrived on playing games is in danger of becoming a not so pleasant place to visit. Time will tell whether the signs of the good old times are returning or a new trend of bad performances in Spain is coming to the fore.


Probable Starting Line-Up(s)
=====================


-------------------
---> Barcelona <---
-------------------

------------------------Valdes ----------------------
--
--Belletti---------Puyol-------Oleguer-----Van Bronckhorst--
--
----------------Xavi----------Marquez---------------
--
------------------------Deco------------------------
---------Giuly-----------------------Ronaldinho-------
--
------------------------Eto'o------------------------

1. The most notable return would be that of Ludovic Giuly who was absent through injury for the first encounter. However the Brasilian right back Belletti might not be fit enough to start giving newcomer Damia a chance to start AGAIN for Barcelona. If Belletti is 50-50 right now then I would tend to think that he will start in this big game. He has a point to prove after his poor first game.

2. Larsson will move to the bench in the event of Giuly starting leaving Eto'o as the lone striker up front. Deco and Eto'o didn't have a good game first time around so will be raring to go to stamp their authority on this game for a Barcelona win.

3. Ronaldinho has not hit top gear as yet in any game. He has shown flashes of his brilliant self but still not his explosive self throughout the game which is always a dangerous sign for the opposition. Maybe it is better if he saves it for the Real game coming up in November. He is going to shift into top gear in any one of these games and then all hell will break loose! It is difficult to control Jello when it has two feet and moves fast!

4. The injury situation has really limited Rijkaard to play the same players more or less in every game which would surely be burning them as time wears on. This is not a good thing as the seasons are very long and demanding. He can't be blamed as he is still making the best of the grim situation!



---------------
---> Milan <---
---------------



--------------------Dida---------------------
--
--Cafu-------Nesta------Maldini-----Pancaro--
--
-------------------Pirlo----------------------
-----Gattuso-----------------Seedorf--------
--
--------------Rui------Kaka-----------------
--
--------------Shevchenko-------------------


1. The situation is custom built for Ancelotti to field the 4-3-2-1 formation instead of his usual 4-1-2-1-2 rhombus midfield with two strikers up front. Stam may be out till December with Inzaghi out till February. Milan has caught the Barcelona injury virus. I hope we brush it off quickly as Stam was a very authoritative figure in the first game. Better to have these injuries now than in the latter part of the season which can be a killer.

2. Milan's two other strikers Tomasson and Crespo are not their usual self with regards to goals. They are doing ok but leave a lot to be desired. Thus leaving the offensive weapon for goals to be the Stealth Bomber from Ukraine. Rui Costa has played well when given the chance. He might get the nod for this important clash.

3. The 4-3-2-1 is the ideal formation for Milan to hit Barcelona on the counter and try to control the tempo of the match and pace of it. It is also advisable to play 5 men in the midfield to compete with Barcelona's 5 man midfield.

4. If Ancelotti has learnt his lesson from the last trip to Spain (which I think he has) AND Berlusconi doesn't have a problem with ONE striker then this is the way to go without a doubt. Milan can control the match this way and has lost only once in Turin with this formation vs. big opposition.


Tactics
======


----------------------------------
--- Rijkaard [B A R C E L O N A] ---
----------------------------------

Rijkaard being Sacchi's student accepted the defeat as it was not blaming bad luck or any other factor. When he walked out to the San Siro his facial expression gave it away as he knew what type of tough opponent his side was up against. After all he has been a part of the 'experience' himself.

This time he can use the home field advantage to really push home the advantage and take Milan by the scruff of their neck just like Deportivo did earlier this year.

He needs his offence to fire on all cylinders. It can be argued that it was Barcelona's offence that came up short due to no goals scored be it down to mistakes or not enough penetrative play. That needs to be improved.

A) Improved finishing
B) Fast momentum and increased workrate
C) Cautious of the counter attack

Barcelona needs to keep a high pace in the game and hope that an early goal rattles Milan and doesn't let the Rossoneri settle. If Milan is given time to relax and settle into the game then it will become difficult for Barcelona. For this very reason the first 25 mins of the game will be crucial for both sides to not make any mistakes and not outdo themselves because the quality on both sides is simply too much to take advantage of mistakes.

Barcelona has to maintain a balance and not get lost in trying to overpower Milan because Milan is well capable of hitting them on the counter so far as to get an incredible away win. It has been done in the past.


---------------------------
--- Ancelotti [M I L A N] ---
---------------------------

Ancelotti rested his key players in the game vs. Sampdoria. It gives a clear indication that he doesn't want to take things lightly and try to achieve qualification asap. There are issues he has to take into account as well

A) Make sure that the side doesn't take this game casually
B) Maintains discipline and eradication of errors
C) Better coverage of the flanks to minimize the Barcelona threat from flanks

Ancelotti's major concern will be to make sure that the side is not in a casual mode knowing that 9pts have been achieved already from the first three encounters. It is a good sign that he rested the key men for this game that indicated that he wants to go for the KILL in this encounter.

A repeat of La Coruna will also be heavy on the minds of the player and coach so the team has to remain calm and disciplined and play simple football and do the basic things correctly.

Barcelona had lots of space on the right flank but hardly utilized those opportunities in Part 1. Since Maldini will play in the centre he will go with the experience of Pancaro to cover that flank and prevent giving the Barça players to have a field day on that side!


KEY BATTLES
==========

Giuly vs. Seedorf

Deco vs. Pirlo

Ronaldinho vs. Nesta

Marquez vs. Kaka

Puyol vs. Shevchenko

Xavi vs. Rui Costa


KEY MEN
=======

Ronaldinho
----------

The Freak Show has a point to prove this time as his side needs him to get the win against Milan that the club craves for decades. He had a moments of sheer quality and breathless play but didnot get the job done. He has a personal vendetta to prove that he can perform to his best against the continent's best. He didn't do it by his standards in the away game but this is his home and he is King here.


Kaka
-----

His Brasilian counterpart has began to show signs of his brilliant first season. Taking on the Inter team in the derby was a sight resulting in 4 yellow cards for the Inter players on 20m+ runs by the Kid. If the above formation is played then he is a good bet to have a pretty good game if the team remains composed at the back.


Prediction

It is a long long time since Barcelona have tasted victory against Milan. It is also a long time since Barcelona had such a good side. Spain has not been kind to Milan in the recent past but has been a nice place over a longer period. Barcelona's aim will be to get an early goal while Milan has to try to keep things under check for the first 25 mins or so. An early goal will affect the team mentally and give flashbacks of the La Coruna episode that will not be good. The other side is that if Barcelona scores a very early goal then as it happens commonly in football the equaliser will come at some point so Barcelona needs to try and kill off the game in such a situation which is easier said than done.

Milan is usually better in away encounters compared to home games but the leakage of goals in the Spanish visits and the recent streak of clean sheets is a worrying point because Barcelona will score surely.

The Camp Nou is synonymous with exciting games in the UCL btw big opponents with late goals somehow playing a part in the encounters at this fantastic venue. The encounter will have more goals than the San Siro encounter for sure and I think Barcelona will nick it with a goal or two depending on what happens in the first 25 mins which are crucial for the overall result of the game.

i think were going for a draw probably 1-1

1st half

-------------Sheva

-----------Rui---Kaka'

----Ambro---Pirlo---Gattuso

Kaladze---Maldini---Nesta---Cafu'

---------------Dida


2nd half (if it's still draw) when Barca's players are tired, and then "Il concorde" will make an impact, a super sub

------------Sheva

Serginho----Kaka'

----Ambro---Pirlo---Gattuso

Kaladze---Maldini---Nesta---Cafu'

---------------Dida

I hope Milan took the 3 points with 2-0 winners. Ronnie-Etoo-Giuly is so deadly and I'm make sure that Barca is very keen to stop us.

Originally Posted by echo

I hope Milan took the 3 points with 2-0 winners. Ronnie-Etoo-Giuly is so deadly and I'm make sure that Barca is very keen to stop us.

And we are very keen to keep them down too.

This Game Is Very Important To Us To Win And Get 3 Piont
To Asure We Are Through .i Think Milan Will Win
1-0 Or 2-1 And I Can't Wait To See This Game
But One Thing Is Very Clear And Milan Player Need To
Be Aware Of It This Thing Is The Game Will Be Difficult
So We Need Patient And Not To Think We Will Score Easly


So Proud Of Ac Milan
So Proud Of All Our Player Espacialy Maldini- Sheva

Man they're not going to show the Barca - Milan match live on thsn this time .Going to get to watch Panathanaikos - Arsenal instead

Originally Posted by BG1

Man they're not going to show the Barca - Milan match live on thsn this time .Going to get to watch Panathanaikos - Arsenal instead

do you mean that you'll watch a 2nd-grade game?