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Played
November 23, 2011 2:45 PM EST
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza — Milano
Referee: W. Stark
Attendance: 78927
November 23, 2011 2:45 PM EST
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza — Milano
Referee: W. Stark
Attendance: 78927
Champions League Preview: AC Milan - Barcelona
Top spot in Group H is still very much up for grabs as the Rossoneri welcome the reigning European champions to San Siro on Wednesday
Getty
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PROBABLE LINE-UPS |
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AC MILAN  Abbiati Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini Nocerino, Van Bommel, Aquilani Boateng Ibrahimovic, Pato |
BARCELONA
 Valdes Puyol, Pique, Mascherano, Abidal Busquets, Xavi, Fabregas Sanchez, Villa, Messi |
AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri will be without the services of Antonio Cassano who is recovering from heart surgery while Philippe Mexes is still nursing a broken wrist.
Alexandre Pato came on as a substitute in the goalless draw against Fiorentina at the weekend and could be handed a starting role up front in Wednesday's encounter.
Barca coach Pep Guardiola faces a selection headache at right-back as Dani Alves is suspended and Adriano is injured. Carles Puyol could slide over to full-back and Javier Mascherano to the centre of defence to compensate for the Brazilian duo's absence.
Andres Iniesta will miss the crunch clash with a thigh strain, but Pedro recently returned from an ankle problem and could see some action off the bench.
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DID YOU KNOW? |
AC Milan has only won three out of their last 10 home games in the Champions League.
- Massimiliano Allegri's men have won six out of their last eight matches in all competitions.
- The Rossoneri have picked up two wins at San Siro against Barca in the Champions League (W2 D1 L2).
- Alexandre Pato scored the fifth fastest goal in the history of the competition (24 seconds) at Camp Nou in the 2-2 draw on September 13, 2011.
- Barcelona has scored more goals than any other club in this season's tournament so far (13).
- The holders have succumbed to only one defeat in their last eight Champions League encounters away from Camp Nou.
- The Blaugrana's overall record against Italian teams in Europe is W5 D6 L5.
- Pep Guardiola's side have outscored their opponents 9-0 in their last two away matches in Group H.
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Milan 2-1 Barcelona
- 17.13 %
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Milan 2-0 Barcelona
- 12.9 %
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Milan 1-3 Barcelona
- 11.56 %
| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | Apr 3, 2012 | Barcelona 3 - Milan 1 |
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| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | Mar 28, 2012 | Milan 0 - Barcelona 0 |
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| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | Nov 23, 2011 | Milan 2 - Barcelona 3 |
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| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | Sep 13, 2011 | Barcelona 2 - Milan 2 |
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| Club Friendlies (FR) | Aug 25, 2010 | Barcelona 3 - Milan 2 |
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Milan
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| May 13, 2012 | Milan 2 - Novara 1 | ITA1 |
| May 6, 2012 | Inter 4 - Milan 2 | ITA1 |
| May 2, 2012 | Milan 2 - Atalanta 0 | ITA1 |
| Apr 29, 2012 | Siena 1 - Milan 4 | ITA1 |
| Apr 25, 2012 | Milan 1 - Genoa 0 | ITA1 |
Barcelona
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| May 25, 2012 | Athletic Bilbao 0 - Barcelona 3 | ESPC |
| May 12, 2012 | Betis 2 - Barcelona 2 | LIGA |
| May 5, 2012 | Barcelona 4 - Espanyol 0 | LIGA |
| May 2, 2012 | Barcelona 4 - Malaga 1 | LIGA |
| Apr 29, 2012 | Rayo Vallecano 0 - Barcelona 7 | LIGA |
| 32 | Christian Abbiati | Goalkeeper |
| 13 | Alessandro Nesta | Defender |
| 19 | Gianluca Zambrotta | Defender |
| 20 | Ignazio Abate | Defender |
| 33 | Thiago Silva | Defender |
| 4 | Mark van Bommel | Midfielder |
| 10 | Clarence Seedorf | Midfielder |
| 18 | Alberto Aquilani | Midfielder |
| 27 | Kevin-Prince Boateng | Midfielder |
| 11 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Striker |
| 70 | Robinho | Striker |
| 1 | Marco Amelia | Goalkeeper |
| 77 | Luca Antonini | Defender |
| 25 | Daniele Bonera | Defender |
| 28 | Urby Emanuelson | Midfielder |
| 23 | Massimo Ambrosini | Midfielder |
| 22 | Antonio Nocerino | Midfielder |
| 7 | Alexandre Pato | Striker |
| 1 | Víctor Valdés | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Carles Puyol | Defender |
| 22 | Éric Abidal | Defender |
| 4 | Cesc Fàbregas | Midfielder |
| 6 | Xavi | Midfielder |
| 11 | Thiago Alcántara | Midfielder |
| 14 | Javier Mascherano | Midfielder |
| 15 | Seydou Keita | Midfielder |
| 16 | Sergio Busquets Burgos | Midfielder |
| 7 | David Villa | Striker |
| 10 | Lionel Messi | Striker |
| 13 | José Pinto Colorado | Goalkeeper |
| - | Maxwell | Defender |
| 3 | Gerard Piqué | Defender |
| 24 | Andreu Fontàs Prat | Defender |
| 28 | Dos Santos | Midfielder |
| 17 | Pedro | Striker |
| 9 | Alexis Sánchez | Striker |
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Lionel Messi
Striker Barcelona |
14 | 4 |
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Mario Gomez
Striker FC Bayern München |
13 | 0 |
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker Real Madrid |
10 | 2 |
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Karim Benzema
Striker Real Madrid |
7 | 0 |
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Didier Drogba
Striker Chelsea |
6 | 0 |