Barcelona record points to tricky night for Milan

FC Barcelona and AC Milan began their UEFA Champions League campaigns together at the Camp Nou in September and for one of these two European heavyweights the journey will end at the same venue as their quarter-final reaches its conclusion.

• After a goalless first leg in Italy, Barcelona's strong home record in the competition should make them favourites as they chase a fifth successive semi-final appearance – which would equal the record set by their arch-rivals Real Madrid CF from 1956 to 1960. Although winless on their European travels this term, Milan can take heart from having already earned a scoring draw at the Camp Nou at the start of the group stage.

Previous meetings
• The teams' matchday one meeting in Spain on 13 September finished 2-2, Thiago Silva scoring a 92nd-minute equaliser for Milan after Pedro Rodríguez (36) and David Villa (50) had overturned Pato's goal in the first minute.

• Barcelona prevailed 3-2 in the return on 23 November to secure first place in Group H, consigning the Rossoneri to the runners-up spot. Xavi Hernández hit a 63rd-minute winner after Zlatan Ibrahimović (20) and Kevin-Prince Boateng (54) had cancelled out leads given Barcelona by Mark van Bommel's own goal (14) and Lionel Messi's penalty (31).

• The sides have squared off 14 times overall in UEFA competition, Barcelona recording five wins to Milan's four and scoring 19 goals to the Italian side's 18. Barcelona's record in six home outings against Milan reads W2 D3 L1.

• Milan earned a 0-0 draw at Barcelona in their 2005/06 UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg but lost the tie because of the preceding 1-0 home reverse.

• The lineups for that second leg on 26 April 2006 were:
Barcelona: Valdés, Belletti, Márquez, Puyol, Van Bronckhorst, Edmílson, Deco, Iniesta, Giuly (Larsson 69), Eto'o (Van Bommel 89), Ronaldinho.
Milan: Dida, Kaladze, Costacurta (Cafu 64), Stam, Serginho, Gattuso (Rui Costa 68), Seedorf, Pirlo, Kaká, Shevchenko, Inzaghi (Gilardino 79).

• Milan's last victory against Barcelona came on 20 October 2004 in the UEFA Champions League group stage, Andriy Shevchenko scoring the only goal. Alessandro Nesta, Clarence Seedorf and substitute Massimo Ambrosini played for the Rossoneri with Xavi, Carles Puyol, Víctor Valdés and substitute Andrés Iniesta lining up for Barcelona. Ambrosini is the sole survivor of Milan's only previous victory at the Camp Nou, 2-0 on 26 September 2000.

• The clubs' most high-profile encounter was the 1994 UEFA Champions League final in Athens, which Milan won 4-0. Milan also prevailed when the pair met in the 1989 UEFA Super Cup, winning 1-0 at home after a 1-1 away draw.

Match background
• Barcelona are unbeaten in 14 home fixtures dating back to October 2009, with 12 wins and two draws at the Camp Nou since then, including the 7-1 defeat of Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the round of 16.

• Barcelona also have a formidable home record in European Cup quarter-finals, with 11 wins out of 13. They had no quarter-finals to negotiate when reaching the final in 1991/92 and 1993/94 because the last eight was a group stage.

• The holders have won their last five quarter-finals – four in a row between 2008 and 2011 – and another in 2006. Their last defeat at this stage was against Juventus in 2002/03, the Italian club inflicting on Barcelona their only quarter-final home loss.

• The Azulgrana's overall record against Italian visitors to the Camp Nou is W10 D5 L2.

• Barcelona won their first European Cup by beating Italy's UC Sampdoria 1-0 in the final 20 years ago in May.

• Seven-times winners Milan have won 11 and lost three of the 14 quarter-finals they have contested. Their most recent victory was against FC Bayern München in 2006/07, the season of their last European triumph, when they drew 0-0 at home then won 2-0 away. The most recent defeat came against Spain's RC Deportivo La Coruña in 2003/04 when they famously surrendered a 4-1 first-leg advantage in Galicia. They had no quarter-final matches en route to the final in 1992/93 and 1993/94.

• Milan have yet to win away in the UEFA Champions League this season, posting three draws before the 3-0 loss at Arsenal FC in the last 16.

• The Rossoneri last won in Spain when beating Real Madrid CF 3-2 in the 2009/10 group stage through an 88th-minute Pato strike. It was a rare success as their overall away record against teams from Spain is W4 D6 L11.

• Barcelona have recorded 22 away first-leg draws in UEFA competition, winning 17 of those ties on aggregate. Their record is more mixed when drawing 0-0 away first, however, recording three overall wins – including the most recent tie, which featured a 2-0 second-leg defeat of SL Benfica in the 2005/06 quarter-finals – and two losses.

• Milan have been held at home in the first leg on eight previous occasions in UEFA competition and have won six of those ties. This includes all four when the first game finished goalless, most recently against neighbours FC Internazionale Milano in the 2002/03 semi-finals, when a 1-1 draw in the away leg took Milan into the final on away goals.

• Barcelona's shoot-out record in UEFA club competitions is:
5-4 v Lech Poznań, 1988/89 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup second round
0-2 v FC Steaua Bucureşti, 1985/86 European Cup final
5-4 v IFK Göteborg, 1985/86 European Cup semi-final
4-1 v RSC Anderlecht, 1978/79 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup second round
3-1 v Ipswich Town FC, 1977/78 UEFA Cup third round
5-4 v AZ Alkmaar, 1977/78 UEFA Cup second round

• Milan's record is:
2-3 v Liverpool FC, 2004/05 UEFA Champions League final
3-2 v Juventus, 2002/03 UEFA Champions League final
7-6 v FK Lokomotiva Košice, 1978/79 UEFA Cup first round

• The winning team will take on SL Benfica or Chelsea FC in the semi-finals.

Team ties
• As a player, Barcelona coach Guardiola had spells at Brescia Calcio and AS Roma after leaving the Camp Nou. He was a team-mate of Daniele Bonera at Brescia in 2001/02. On 10 May 2003 he appeared in Brescia's 1-0 home win against a Milan side including Ambrosini with Christian Abbiati on the bench.

• Gianluca Zambrotta (2006-08), Ibrahimović (2009/10), Van Bommel (2005/06) and the on-loan Maxi López (2005-07) have all had spells at Barcelona. Van Bommel won the UEFA Champions League with the Azulgrana in 2006. López scored his only goal in UEFA club competition on his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League for Barcelona against Chelsea in 2005.

• Abbiati (Club Atlético de Madrid), Seedorf and Robinho (both Real Madrid) have played in Spain. Robinho played in Madrid's 1-0 win at the Camp Nou in December 2007 and was unbeaten in three Liga visits to Barcelona.

• Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcántara was born in San Pietro Vernotico in Italy. His father, Mazinho, played in Serie A for US Lecce and ACF Fiorentina.

• Javier Mascherano and Aquilani played together at Liverpool FC in 2009/10. Mascherano was in the Liverpool team beaten 2-1 by Milan in the 2007 UEFA Champions League final.

• Cesc Fàbregas and Mathieu Flamini, who is not in Milan's UEFA Champions League squad, were Arsenal FC team-mates from 2004 to 2008. Fàbregas scored at San Siro in a 2-0 win at Milan in the 2007/08 round of 16 second leg, with Flamini also featuring.

• Iniesta scored the extra-time winner as Spain overcame a Netherlands side featuring Van Bommel in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final.

• Villa and Fàbregas converted from the spot as Spain defeated Italy 4-2 on penalties in the UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-finals. Ambrosini, Zambrotta and Aquilani appeared for Italy.

• Aquilani got the winner as Italy overcame Spain 2-1 in a friendly last August in which Thiago made his senior Spain debut.

• The two clubs' respective Italy and Spain contingents will meet again in the summer when their national teams face off in the group stage at UEFA EURO 2012 – in their opening game in Gdansk on 10 June.

• Éric Abidal was sent off when an Italy team including Zambrotta, Gattuso and substitute Aquilani overcame France 2-0 in the UEFA EURO 2008 group stage.

• Alexis Sánchez scored in Udinese Calcio's 4-4 draw at Milan last season. That was his sole goal in seven league and cup meetings with Milan during three years in Udine which brought three wins, two draws and two defeats.