Tactical Preview Barcelona vs AC MIlan

Barcelona has an uphill task to go past AC Milan to reach the Quarter Finals of UCL. AC Milan are comfortably positioned after the 2-0 home win in the first leg. Winning this tie will be more important, because Barcelona has already included the money received from UEFA for the clubs that reach QF in their Balance Sheet. Failing this would mean a loss of nearly 4 Million Euros for the Azulgranas.

EXPECTED LINE UP :-

Barcelona will boosted by the return of Xavi. As they have been mentioning, they will go out with 4 attackers, with 4th one being Alves, who is expected to track back when required. Niang is expected to start in for Pazzini. Milan , known for their squandering of first leg leads in the past, will not want to repeat the same. They will go for the 'Defensive Strategy' and wait for Counter through KPB, Sharawy and Niang.

BARCELONA STRATEGY:-

Experimental Lineup

Now that Xavi is available, Barca should play him at the centre alongside Iniesta. Both Busquets and Song must start to avoid conceding any goal and making the progress even more complicated for the catalans. Whenever Alves goes forward, which will be for most of the time, Song should drop back and hold KPB. This lack od defending, gave much for Milan to attack (see pic on left). Besides this, Set pieces are another danger for Barca, hence having Song over Alba helps in this situation.


Utilising the flanks will be all the more important. The more the defense is stretched, more space will be created. Pedro isnt having a great time for long now. Just resting him the weekend shows the trust Barca has on him. Last time, he made a mess of it, causing the defense to crowd the likes of Messi and Iniesta (See  pics below).

Barca must try to get the 2 goals and cover up the deficit at the earliest. Blocking the Milan's attack shouldnt be overlooked while attacking. One more goal conceded would almost end the tie before the whistle.

KEY BATTLES - Messi Vs Mexes, Iniesta vs Ambrosini, Sharawy vs Pique


DID YOU KNOW - (Courtesy - Goal.com)

• Barcelona are on a 19-match unbeaten run at Camp Nou in the Champions League, winning 15, since a 2-1 loss to Rubin Kazan in October 2009.
• The Blaugrana have won 11 of 24 ties in European competition in which they have lost the first leg away from home. However, no team in Champions League history has overturned a 2-0 first-leg defeat.
• Lionel Messi (pictured, right) needs one more strike to overtake Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of 56 goals and become the second-highest scorer in Champions League history.
• AC Milan are unbeaten in Serie A in 2013, winning seven and drawing three.
• The seven-time European champions have already lost on Spanish soil this season - a 1-0 reverse at Malaga in the group stage. Their overall away record against Spanish opposition is W4, D6, L13.
• Milan hold the unwanted record for the biggest first-leg lead squandered in the Champions League era, when their 4-1 advantage in the 2003-04 quarter-finals against Deportivo La Coruna was overturned by a 4-0 defeat in the return leg.

Prediction - Milan might look to secure a draw. But Barca has been doing brilliant enough all these to throw away any match just like that. I would go for 2-0 win for Barca and the match to be decided in the extra time.