Heat is on as Barca face exit

Lionel Messi

Barcelona welcome AC Milan to the Camp Nou hoping that their home form will see them through to the quarterfinals of the Uefa Champions League. Catch the action live on SS3, SS1 HD.

Barcelona have not lost a European tie at the Camp Nou for more than three years and beat Milan in last season's quarterfinals and in the 2005/06 semifinals.

This time, however, the Italian side travel to Spain defending a 2-0 lead after first-leg goals from Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari at San Siro.

Teams have recovered from losing the first leg to go through in 28 Uefa Champions League ties, although in only four did the victorious side overturn a deficit of more than one goal. No side has ever salvaged a two-goal first-leg defeat without the benefit of an away goal.

Milan themselves hold the unenviable record for the biggest first-leg victory overturned in the Champions League era, losing 4-0 at RC Deportivo La Coruña in the 2003/04 quarterfinals having won 4-1 at home.

This video is not available in your region

Previous meetings

These two famous names have now met 16 times, Barcelona recording six wins to Milan's five and scoring 22 goals to the Italian side's 21. Barcelona's record at home against the Rossoneri reads W3 D3 L1.

In last season's quarterfinal, Milan and Barcelona drew 0-0 at San Siro before the Spanish side prevailed 3-1 in the return, Lionel Messi scoring two first-half penalties either side of Antonio Nocerino's 32nd-minute equaliser. Andrés Iniesta cemented victory for Josep Guardiola's side with a third goal after 53 minutes.

The lineups on 3 April 2012 were:

Barcelona: Valdés, Alves, Piqué (Adriano 75), Mascherano, Puyol, Xavi (Thiago 63), Busquets, Fàbregas (Keita 78), Iniesta, Messi, Cuenca.

Milan: Abbiati, Abate, Mexès, Nesta, Antonini, Nocerino, Ambrosini, Seedorf (Aquilani 61), Boateng (Pato 69; Maxi López 82), Robinho, Ibrahimovic.

The clubs also met in the 2011/12 group stage. Their matchday one fixture at the Camp Nou on 13 September 2011 finished 2-2, Thiago Silva scoring Milan's 92nd-minute equaliser after Pedro Rodríguez and David Villa had overturned Pato's first-minute goal.

Barcelona then won 3-2 in Milan on 23 November to consign their hosts to second place in their group. Xavi Hernández hit a 63rd-minute winner after Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Boateng had cancelled out Mark van Bommel's own goal and Messi's penalty respectively.

Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona were 1-0 aggregate winners against Carlo Ancelotti's Milan in the 2005/06 semifinals en route to winning the second of their four European Cup titles. Ludovic Giuly's strike at San Siro proved decisive in a tie featuring Massimo Ambrosini for Milan and Víctor Valdés, Carles Puyol and Iniesta for Barcelona.

Milan's first-leg win ended a run of seven matches without a victory against Barcelona going back to 20 October 2004, Andriy Shevchenko getting the only goal of that group stage game. Substitute Ambrosini played for the Rossoneri with Valdés, Puyol, Xavi and substitute Iniesta lining up for the Spanish side. Ambrosini is also a survivor of Milan's only win at the Camp Nou, 2-0 on 26 September 2000, with Francesco Coco and Oliver Bierhoff scoring.

The clubs' most high-profile encounter was the 1994 Champions League final in Athens, Fabio Capello's Milan winning 4-0 with goals from Daniele Massaro (22, 45), Dejan Savicevic (47) and Marcel Desailly (58). Milan also prevailed when the pair met in the 1989 Uefa Super Cup, winning 1-0 at home after a 1-1 away draw.

Barcelona won the clubs' first two-legged contest 7-1 on aggregate in the first round of the 1959/60 European Champion Clubs' Cup.