2011-12 AC Milan starting 11.
Crowned as overall champions of Europe the previous year, Barcelona prepares for their first Champions League fixture this season against AC Milan. In any given year, a match between these two teams could be a semifinal or final match in the Champions League. With Group H also comprising the likes of BATE Borisov and Viktoria Plzen, Barcelona and Milan’s qualification seems to be a lock before the games even begin. The trip to Camp Nou will be the second in two years for AC Milan, where they fell 2-0 in the Gamper Cup to the Catalans.
Camp Nou in Barcelona: The Football Coliseum of Europe
Barcelona have had their share of setbacks following the lapse of league play for international weeks every September and this year was no exception as the Catalan giants eventually conceded a two-goal lead to draw with Real Sociedad at the Anoeta Stadium. Head coach Pep Guardiola was not and pleased with his team’s second half implosion, and he urged his team to up their game if they wanted to get a better result against Milan and have a similar success as their 2010/2011 campaign: “What is clear now is that this season, we will have to perform better than the last if we want to win again. When you win, it becomes harder to repeat your achievements”, said the Catalan boss.
Adding insult to injury, pun intended, for Barcelona was that their new pick-up forward, Alexis Sánchez, was carried off on a stretcher; the tricky Chilean winger has suffered a hamstring tear and is expected to be out for nearly two months. Sanchez had seemingly meshed in with ease at Barcelona and his absence will be a huge blow to a team whose numerical depth is not one its strongest points. David Villa and Pedro will now be the chief forwards with Messi playing his usual “False 9” position.
Similar to Barcelona’s disappointment at Anoeta, AC Milan were in need of a much-needed morale boost before they prepared to travel to Camp Nou to face off against the Catalans. However, the reigning Serié A champions found themselves 2-0 down in the first half against rival Lazio in the season opening match, before eventually fighting back through Antonio Cassano and Zlatan Ibrahimovíc in a game that could have gone either way.
Antonio Cassano of AC Milan led their two-goal comeback against Lazio in the opening match of Serié A competition.
Widely tipped this year to retain their crown, Milan’s draw at the San Siro was a disappointment and boss Massimiliano Allegri hinted that individual performances might be the key to overcoming the Blaugrana (Red and Blue or Barcelona), while stressing the Ibrahimovíc factor as the towering Swede returns to his former club: “He [Zlatan] is very important for us. Last season he did tremendous things, especially in the first half of the season. We won matches thanks to him, when we were not a team yet. We were on our way to becoming a team, and Zlatan made the difference. They [Barcelona] are a difficult side to play, but you have to try to give your best technically, tactically and physically. I think that with Cassano, Ibrahimovic, [Alexandre] Pato and Robinho we have world-class players in attack.”
The Rossoneri’s (nickname for Milan) defense poses big questions for Allegri though, as the duo of Alessandro Nesta and Thiago Silva were far from being at their best against Lazio. A repeat of such a display against the likes of Lionel Messi and David Villa will surely have serious repercussions for the seven-time Champions League winners. Any lapse of concentration against Messi, Villa, Pedro, Xavi, and Fábregas will surely result in a shellacking at the hands of the Catalans and their 100,000 seat stadium.
Players to watch
Barcelona: Cesc Fábregas, David Villa. After a dry spell with winning trophies at Arsenal, Cesc Fábregas is looking to get back on the right track with Barça. After getting his tail kicked year after year by Barcelona in the Champions League, Cesc will love being on the other side of the ball during this go-around. Villa will be worth watching closely, after his mistake at Sociedad cost Barcelona two points, and with Alexis out his role on the offense is even more crucial to their success.
Expect to see Cesc pushing forward in a prominent role on Tuesday night at the Nou Camp.
AC Milan: Zlatan Ibrahimovíc. Ibrahimovic will face the club that made him the second most expensive transfer player in history. While the Swede won the league trophy during his single season in Catalonia two seasons ago, his personal time at the Camp Nou was a disappointment as he fell out of favor with Guardiola during the middle of the season. Expect him to have a point to prove as Milan rallies around him as a morale booster in the most hostile road environment in all of Europe.
Zlatan Ibrahimovíc returns to the Nou Camp a season later, and will play the most vital role for AC Milan against the Catalans.
It would be foolish to rule out Barcelona following their draw at the weekend, even against a team of Milan’s magnitude. Josep Guardiola’s side remains better equipped than the visitors, and will likely pull the strings to clinch all three points in this match if they can execute like they have done for the past two seasons in every large-scale match.
Disciple of Messi 