Reunion time for strike pair at San Siro

It promises to be a tale of two strikers when FC Barcelona begin their UEFA Champions League defence at FC Internazionale Milano in a Group F fixture that pits Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimović against their old clubs. The forwards traded places in the summer, Ibrahimović swapping San Siro for Catalonia and Eto'o making the opposite journey two months after striking the opening goal in Barça's 2-0 final triumph against Manchester United FC in Rome.

Previous meetings
• In the sides' first meeting Barcelona were convincing 3-0 winners in the UEFA Champions League second group stage at the Camp Nou on 26 February 2002. Goals from Javier Saviola, Phillip Cocu and Patrick Kluivert secured an eleventh successive victory, still a competition record.

• The return the following week produced a goalless draw and both teams progressed to the quarter-finals, Barcelona as group winners. Yet Inter went further that season, reaching the last four.

• Inter's Javier Zanetti and Barcelona pair Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernández played in both matches, with Andrés Iniesta an unused substitute at San Siro.

Match background
• Barcelona are aiming to become the first team to defend the European crown since AC Milan in 1989/90. Inter are seeking a first European Champion Clubs' Cup since back-to-back wins in 1964 and 1965.

• Inter have lost just one of 15 home matches against Spanish clubs. The Nerazzurri achieved the first of their two European Cup successes by defeating Real Madrid CF 3-1 in the 1964 final in Vienna.

• This is Barcelona's sixth trip to San Siro and their record there is W2 D1 L2. Barça beat Milan 1-0 on their last visit in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League semi-final, Ludovic Giuly's 57th-minute strike the only goal of the tie.

• Barcelona lifted the European Cup for the first time after beating Italy's UC Sampdoria 1-0 in the 1992 final at Wembley. They lost the 1994 final 4-0 to Milan.

Team ties
• José Mourinho served as an assistant to the late Sir Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal at Barcelona from 1996-2000.

• As Chelsea manager Mourinho oversaw a 5-4 aggregate defeat of Barcelona in the 2004/05 first knockout round but suffered a 3-2 defeat over two legs at the same stage the next season. The 2006/07 campaign brought another reunion, this time in the group stage, with Chelsea finishing above Barça after a 1-0 home win and 2-2 away draw.

• Eto'o spent five seasons with Barcelona from 2004. The Cameroon striker hit 109 goals in 144 league appearances, including 30 last season. In the UEFA Champions League he registered 18 in 43 games, scoring Barcelona's first goals in the final triumphs of 2006 and 2009.

• Inter winger Ricardo Quaresma spent 2003/04 at the Camp Nou, making 22 Liga appearances and scoring once.

• During his three-year spell at Inter, Ibrahimović hit 57 goals in 88 Serie A appearances and six in 22 UEFA Champions League games.

• Thierry Henry scored twice for former club Arsenal FC in a 5-1 win at Inter in the 2003/04 group stage. The France forward previously suffered a UEFA Cup semi-final defeat at Inter's hands when playing for AS Monaco FC in 1996/97.

• Former Barcelona forward Jordi Cruyff – son of Camp Nou legend Johan – hit the opening goal for Deportivo Alavés when they became the first, and so far only, team from Spain to beat Inter in Milan, prevailing 2-0 in a UEFA Cup fourth-round tie in 2000/01.