Recent previous meetings:
2011/2012 :: Quarter-finals :: FC Barcelona - AC Milan 3:1
2011/2012 :: Quarter-finals :: AC Milan - FC Barcelona 0:0
2011/2012 :: Group H :: AC Milan - FC Barcelona 2:3
2011/2012 :: Group H :: FC Barcelona - AC Milan 2:2
2005/2006 :: Semi-finals :: FC Barcelona - AC Milan 0:0
2005/2006 :: Semi-finals :: AC Milan - FC Barcelona 0:1
2004/2005 :: Group F :: FC Barcelona - AC Milan 2:1
2004/2005 :: Group F :: AC Milan - FC Barcelona 1:0

Milan have not won in any of the previous 7 meetings.

Milan: WWWDW
Barcelona: WDDWW

Possible line-ups:
Milan: "Some Allegri Cr**" - han or "Something only Mourinho could best" - Kurt
Barcelona: Whatever Pep did

Someone had this line-up on Facebook:



I like it. I just hope though that Ambrosini doesn't play. He can't cut it at this level anymore.

can we continue slagging off Allegri here....or do we really need to let this game happen first?

Milan forward Stephan El Shaarawy has returned to training today ahead of their match against Barcelona on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old striker was rested for Friday's win over Parma with knee tendon damage.

But the Italy international has seemingly got over his injury woes having taken full-part in the Rossoneri's session this morning.

It is still unclear though whether El Shaarawy will be fit enough to start against the Blaugrana.

http://www.football-italia.net/30924/el-sh...eturns-training

SES will play.

I hope for a 1-1 draw in this fixture. We will concede just hope its just a goal.

However, in a realistic scenario, given this squad, I see us loosing this one 1-5. Messi with a hattrick even

I think we'll draw, last season-style.

I think we might concede 2 or 3 in the least, but I'm hoping for a win obviously.

Imagine if we pull a Chelsea. I mean, they were crap last season as well (ended up 5th in the league), but managed to actually beat Barça at home and tie at Camp Nou. It's nearly impossible, I know, but one can dream.

I don't see the squad as being the problem. If they're set out right I think we should do decently.

It all depends on the guys Allegri chooses and the tactics he chooses to deploy. If he picks the likes of Muntari to start in midfield then the writing is already on the wall before the match even kicks off.

I seriously hope he does not go for the usual 4-3-3. THAT would seriously be suicidal. Either start with a xmas tree set-up or use the typical 4-3-1-2 and I seriously do not want to see Niang in this one. Pazzini HAS to be the one to start upfront

Personally I'd like to see this



Flamini and Nocerino would seriously need to do a double-up job with the FBs and help them out big time. If these 2 drop off to help out the FBs then Prince and SES would then drop deeper and help out Monto in the center.

Pazzini will be starved 99.99% of the time, but if he can work hard by dropping deep and putting pressure on their defenders/midfielders and then hold up the ball when we actually win it back he'd be worth as much as a goal.

If we want to at least give this a shot than going out 4-3-3 like we do in the league and playing the brainless football we usually do then yes, expect a spanking similar to the one you predicted up here.

Keep it tight and use the ball wisely on the rare occasions that we have it, using setpiece situations to their fullest will give us a whisper of a chance. But players like Muntari, Niang, Traore, Yepes, etc need to be kept out at all costs.

I put a * next to Constant because I'm seriously worried about him. His defensive qualities have rarely been put to the test and I seriously feel that he could be turned inside out here. That being said, I have no idea who could start instead. DS is the only name that comes to mind who can do a decent defensive job but throwing him out there in such a tie could be a huge mistake. One thing's for sure, the midfielder playing on the left side will have to work his @ss off

Constant will be MoM.

Gee! what's with this positive attitude around here? pull a Chelsea? draw? win?

You'll find the reality such a ***** when they score 3 past us.

Last season Ambrosini played a crucial role against Barcelona. I think he can reprise his showing.

Depends how they play. If they show the same arrogance like the SF 2nd leg in 2010 and 2012 then we can stand some sort of chance. If they really go for it they we'll lose both legs.

Blasphemy, he is 30+ he is sh1te!



Ever considered coaching Milan?

If we lose by a decent margin over the 2 legs, it won't make any news.
However, if we beat dem over d 2 legs, nomatter how we do it (even if it is a handball goal or own goal) then that is big NEWS.


And I hope against hope that we make d big news

We obviously have no Balo, but if Allegri snuffs out Barcelona's Plan A, which isn't that hard, then they have no Plan B to fall back on.

Tactics against Barca are easy if you know what you're doing.

Tight man-marking, compressed defence, and 'anti-football' as Messi himself labelled it when Rangers were the first to successfully do it in 2007.

Do not let them breathe, don't give them an inch, 150% concentration at all times and play deep.

Allegri should also pick, strangely enough, our 'tallest' possible team. Barca cannot play aerially at all so take advantage of that and use high balls on the quick counter.

If shitey Celtic cotton onto how it's done (only 6 years after Rangers did) then any f*cker can do it.

But it does take major effort.

I'll pitch the question: if we wanted to pick our 'tallest' players, and/or 'bulkiest', who would we select?

You are not serious!

We don't have a solid, compressed back four, and tight man-marking is a non-existent concept in our play. so is 150% concentration. seriously, we stand no chance of even getting a draw. I predict a 0-3 Barca win. maybe we can snatch a goal through El Sha outsmarting their not-so-great defense and make it 1-3. but that's the farthest I can see us going. we lack the marquee players needed in defense and attack to stand any chance.


I love how you always mention this


They'll probably show arrogance because they're still as good as they were, and we're much worse so should be an easy one for them. even so, I don't think we stand a chance.

Why do you have this opinion that aged players are crap? Ever considered Nesta, Drogba, Pirlo etc? It doesn't have to do with age, but with the showings on the pitch. And Ambro this season has been absolutely appalling.

By the way, listen to Berlusca: "Flamini and Muntari will mark Mesisi, each one for each half".

Link

When it comes to football tactics this guy is absolutely clueless.

Huh, R7 most definitely meant that as a sarcasm! He loves well-aged things, um, players!

Then why did he bring it up in the first place? I didn't say Ambro can't cut it because he's old, but cause he's become a depleted player and this season he's been horrible. Robinho, for example, can't cut it either, but he's not old.

He probably did because of he slack the seniors have been getting (rightly, or otherwise) here in the past few seasons. Sure, most of them are gone, and most of them couldn't cut it when they were here. Ultimately, this was something both the management and the players should have thought about quite a bit earlier than they did.

For some it's painful seeing the legends (?) or at least senior players hang the boots. For some it's bliss!

No way man. Ambro has clearly shown this season that his fuel tank is 100% empty


I'm 100% sure I'd make more logical decisions than our "coach", most people on here would as well


If Muntari plays it will be just plain laughable. It's clear Silvio hasn't watched the team play in a while.

Also, having someone running around aimlessly after Messi would give Barca just what they want. You can't approach a team like Barca and man-mark a single player

All the teams with notable scalps of Barca have been big. Inter, Celtic, Rangers, Chelsea. Tall tight teams.

Right and Celtic have all the above?

Are you aware they have guys like Efe Ambrose at the back!?



Mainly because Messi slagged it off as anti football and hey, guess what, other teams started doing the same. And it works.

Take a bow Walter Smith.

Im not really worried about Constant. His defensive qualities doesnt lack that much ,but if it is short it is complemented by his very high work rate.

The key area will be midfield. thats barca's strength and thats where the real battle will be.

Agree with that but they use the wing a lot as well. Last season Zambro and Abate both worked their @sses off in all the games and that's when we did our best defensively while when Anatonini was on we struggled more.

But yeah, we need to pack that midfield, the midfield needs to be tight in the center as well as cover the FBs, which is why a 4-3-3 would be an abolutely suicide mission

Called-up players: Abbiati, Amelia, Gabriel, Abate, De Sciglio, Mexes, Yepes, Zapata, Ambrosini, Boateng, Constant, Cristante (N.36), Montolivo, Muntari, Traorè, Bojan, El Shaarawy, Niang, Pazzini.

No Nocerino and Flamini, which means Muntari will play from the start, most probably alongside Ambrosini. We are literally fucked!

WTF? what happened to them? we can't even have all of our players available for a match like this FFS.

Flamini has a minor injury, Nocerino's absence popped out of the blue. This is really sad. Can you imagine Xavi-Iniesta-Fabregas-Messi against a Montolivo-Ambrosini-Muntari midfield? They'll walk all over us. Even I had hopes of scrapping a decent result tomorrow, but with this development I'd day our chances now are practically null. Thrashing it will be.

Seriously, I will take anything over playing both Muntari and Ambrosini tomorrow. We're screwed, for real. At least one of them has to be benched, move Boateng in midfield, play Bojan and SES as wingers and ask them to track back A LOT! Oh wait, Allegri will probably play Niang instead ( ). Damn it! Not only we have to cope with our coach's absolute incompetence, but now even the God of football is against us. I don't mind us losing, we would have lost either way, but now I'm afraid we'll see a major thrashing, at our home ground. It will feel horrible. We're Milan, not Bayer Leverkusen!

The idea of Muntari (and his incredible workrate+speed) against the likes of Messi and Iniesta scares the **** out of me. where is Strasser when you need him?

And Nocerino's absence is a huge blow. not only he could help defensively, he's one of our few attacking threats as well. could've surprised Barca with a goal like last season. damn bad luck!


That was a group game. this is serious stuff. besides, any team can overachieve (or in Barca's case, underachieve) in one game. doesn't mean anything. I don't think we have what it takes to stop them, plain and simple.

Just have the back 4, the 3 midfielders + 3 subs take it in turns kicking the **** out of Messi. We'll take the 10 yellow cards.

Wow, that's gonna be one ugly midfield

Or resign Ringho, Seedorf and Nesta .. Can't have boys doing mens job now can we

Considering those 2 losses a 3-man back line should be seriously considered.

Also considering our lack of midfield options I'd also move Constant up to midfield and just shoot the sh!t and push DS out on the left.

This is the moment where Allegri's complete lack of tactical acumen will seriously shine through. I'm 100% sure he'll stick to his rigid 4-3-3 system when there is no chance in hell of that ever working. To ever have a chance in this we need someone who can be innovative and think outside the box. Allegri is so far from that it's not even funny

Imo our only chance is if we go



I think this would give us a decent chance

THIS: (which is what we can expect under Allegri)



Will SURELY earn us a right old spanking like we haven't seen in a while

I like it.

Though I agree we'll likely put the 2nd team you put.

Sorry, I'm finding myself going cross-eyed at the amount of times you agreed with me in the last few days

Just because you're wrong about Allegri doesn't mean we can't agree on other stuff.

I like it, but DS on the left flank in midfield doesn't do it for me. Too bad we sold Emanuelson.

DS is still more defensively solid than Urby. It's not like he'll have to do any attacking work which is where he is found lacking the most imo

It's not about his defensive stability. He's not suitable for that position. I have doubts about him as FB (I see him more of a CB), but pushing him to midfield as WB is going too far. Urby is a natural WB.

Gazzetta probable line-up:

Abbiati
Abate
Zapata
Mexes
Constant
Muntari
Montolivo
Ambrosini
Boateng
Pazzini
El Shaarawy

Muntari Monto and Ambro midfield isn't that bad based on my logic of not giving Barca room to breathe.

If we compress the defence and let those 3 protect then we can scrape a draw tomorrow.

And if Boateng/El-Sha have a good game then we might even nick one on the counter.

It's not quite so much about who we pick, it's the tactics.

I have a feeling that Abate will be a key in this game. If Barca are weak anywhere, its at LB. Abate is going to show that he is a dominant RB, the tactics are key.

Only that Muntari has the work-rate of a snail, and Ambro has managed to embarrass himself against relegation teams this season.

I'm actually thinking that playing Boateng alongside Ambro and Monto, and Bojan behind the strikers would be a better. I know it's risky, but IMO it's miles better than having both Muntari and Ambro on the pitch.

Exactly as I posted above

How innovative from our "coach"

If you make the midfield protect the defence and effectively sit as 2 massive banks with a couple of attackers up top, there's a small chance of this feeble midfield actually doing a better job than you think.

Muntari simply HAS to work hard. If he's told to work hard, and doesn't do it, then that's basically a direct defiance of explicit instruction. Agree that Ambro is utter gash but in my system he is not there to even pass the ball - just to be effectively a harrying DM. Shut them down and mark tight.

Boateng in there cannot work because his instinct is to attack - and Xavi etc will pass straight through him. He's actually ok defending on the flank but not in the middle. As for Bojan? Not a chance - he's a featherweight and Barca's midfield is far too intelligent to let him play through them.

It really is about strangling them.

Only way to beat or draw Barca.