A 0-0 draw at the San Siro last week in the Champions League might have given Milan a bigger advantage ahead of Tuesday night, but Barcelona have yet to be on the back foot.
Scoring away from home would have undeniably been ideal for the Catalans – who unsurprisingly managed to obtain a clean sheet in Italy last Wednesday. Certainly, it would have enabled them to focus on a midfield battle at least in their return-leg match, as they could have then allowed themselves to concentrate on Milan’s anticipated aerial attacks.
Without doubt though, a quality pitch in the first leg would have more than likely thrown the encounter in Barcelona’s favour. But considering the massiveness of this very Champions League matchup, there can be no margin for excuses.
“To win the Champions League, you have to overcome a lot of things. That's what makes some sportsmen better than others,” Telegraph quoted Pep Guardiola saying after the goalless draw.
Now will be the time to prove if his men are the better sportsmen… Whether they are or not, rating both Milan and Barcelona’s players is utterly a matter of taste. After all, the winning side at the Camp Nou on aggregate might not be the team that had the best performance overall, nor will it necessarily be the side that deserved to win by any means.
Both clubs are aware of this fact, and for Barcelona, scoring will be nothing less than a high priority on Tuesday night. Subsequent to their 0-0 result, Los Cules can only expect to go to extra time or bow out of the competition, if ever they fail to net a single goal, at the very least.
On a more negative note, any change on the scoreboard caused by Milan will compel Barca to score at least two goals to survive. To be brief, the Blaugrana have no choice but to deal with the cruelty of the away goals rule.
Yet, what are their chances of succeeding? One will have to be pessimistic to look upon them as endangered underdogs…
Speaking of line-ups, it is already Barcelona that have the clear advantage, with only five players out – including the doubtful Xavi – against nine Milan players who are definitely ineligible to perform at the Camp Nou.
If we are to take the issue of fatigue into consideration, then it is again the defending champions that have the upper hand, as they fight as hosts. Statistics are also on their side, having clinched 15 clean sheets this season out of 24 home games played.
When it comes to skills and capabilities, it is evident that both sides have a long list of strong points to boast about. But then again, there is no player in the Milan squad that can be perfectly compared to Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in terms of expectations and public attraction. Former Barca striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is however the one that comes the closest.
Ibra’s height, power and aerial abilities have triggered concerns in the Catalan team, but this is when the power of man-marking, precision, physical strength and teamwork gets heavy emphasis. Accordingly, a back line reinforced by the services of Mascherano, Puyol, Pique and Alves could be just enough to silence the Milan forwards.
While the FIFA Club World Cup winners could also be fired up through the volume of shouts coming from the home crowd, they would surely want to be on top of their game and dominate in possession as usual, so as to reach their vital goals: beating the Milan defence and keeping a clean sheet.
Fear on the side of Barcelona fans can be justified due to the negative aspects of the first leg match; but there are arguably much more reasons to be confident ahead of the final leg that will determine who will make it into the Champions League semis. In the case where Barcelona thrive, then their status as the world’s current greatest team would be further fortified in the eyes of the majority of football lovers.
Nevertheless, regardless of the outcome of the second-leg game at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night, some would still need more convincing proofs and attainments to accept Barcelona’s “undisputed” supremacy.
Former AC Milan player Marco Simone showed he was one of them, as he told Goal.com: “Barcelona play better than Milan at the moment, but the Italian side are without a doubt the biggest team in the world.”
Simone refused to degrade the Italians and their chances in the Champions League, stating: “Milan have 50% chances of winning the second leg against Barcelona in my opinion. And I would say that they have a 50% chance to win the Champions League, even if the biggest teams are still there.”
Marco – who totally understands any signs of frustration on behalf of the Spanish giants – succinctly analysed the mouth-watering clash in one sentence whilst incorporating his view: “It won't be an easy game for them (Barca) at (the) Camp Nou…”
Without doubt though, a quality pitch in the first leg would have more than likely thrown the encounter in Barcelona’s favour. But considering the massiveness of this very Champions League matchup, there can be no margin for excuses.
“To win the Champions League, you have to overcome a lot of things. That's what makes some sportsmen better than others,” Telegraph quoted Pep Guardiola saying after the goalless draw.
Now will be the time to prove if his men are the better sportsmen… Whether they are or not, rating both Milan and Barcelona’s players is utterly a matter of taste. After all, the winning side at the Camp Nou on aggregate might not be the team that had the best performance overall, nor will it necessarily be the side that deserved to win by any means.
Both clubs are aware of this fact, and for Barcelona, scoring will be nothing less than a high priority on Tuesday night. Subsequent to their 0-0 result, Los Cules can only expect to go to extra time or bow out of the competition, if ever they fail to net a single goal, at the very least.
On a more negative note, any change on the scoreboard caused by Milan will compel Barca to score at least two goals to survive. To be brief, the Blaugrana have no choice but to deal with the cruelty of the away goals rule.
Yet, what are their chances of succeeding? One will have to be pessimistic to look upon them as endangered underdogs…
Speaking of line-ups, it is already Barcelona that have the clear advantage, with only five players out – including the doubtful Xavi – against nine Milan players who are definitely ineligible to perform at the Camp Nou.
If we are to take the issue of fatigue into consideration, then it is again the defending champions that have the upper hand, as they fight as hosts. Statistics are also on their side, having clinched 15 clean sheets this season out of 24 home games played.
When it comes to skills and capabilities, it is evident that both sides have a long list of strong points to boast about. But then again, there is no player in the Milan squad that can be perfectly compared to Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in terms of expectations and public attraction. Former Barca striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is however the one that comes the closest.
Ibra’s height, power and aerial abilities have triggered concerns in the Catalan team, but this is when the power of man-marking, precision, physical strength and teamwork gets heavy emphasis. Accordingly, a back line reinforced by the services of Mascherano, Puyol, Pique and Alves could be just enough to silence the Milan forwards.
While the FIFA Club World Cup winners could also be fired up through the volume of shouts coming from the home crowd, they would surely want to be on top of their game and dominate in possession as usual, so as to reach their vital goals: beating the Milan defence and keeping a clean sheet.
Fear on the side of Barcelona fans can be justified due to the negative aspects of the first leg match; but there are arguably much more reasons to be confident ahead of the final leg that will determine who will make it into the Champions League semis. In the case where Barcelona thrive, then their status as the world’s current greatest team would be further fortified in the eyes of the majority of football lovers.
Nevertheless, regardless of the outcome of the second-leg game at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night, some would still need more convincing proofs and attainments to accept Barcelona’s “undisputed” supremacy.
Former AC Milan player Marco Simone showed he was one of them, as he told Goal.com: “Barcelona play better than Milan at the moment, but the Italian side are without a doubt the biggest team in the world.”
Simone refused to degrade the Italians and their chances in the Champions League, stating: “Milan have 50% chances of winning the second leg against Barcelona in my opinion. And I would say that they have a 50% chance to win the Champions League, even if the biggest teams are still there.”
Marco – who totally understands any signs of frustration on behalf of the Spanish giants – succinctly analysed the mouth-watering clash in one sentence whilst incorporating his view: “It won't be an easy game for them (Barca) at (the) Camp Nou…”
