Milan's mixed fortunes on Spanish soil

AC Milan have unhappy memories of their travels to Spain, but a victory away to FC Barcelona in the first group stage of the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League actually provided the Italian team with their first win in eleven visits to Spain, and gives them hope for their upcoming visit to the Camp Nou - along with their 1-0 success on Matchday 3.

Advantage Milan 
Francesco Coco and Oliver Bierhoff were on target for the Italian side in their groundbreaking 2-0 win on that day, while the two sides subsequently shared six goals in Milan with Rivaldo's hat-trick for Barcelona against his future club matched by two strikes from Demetrio Albertini and one from José Mari. Milan would eventually top the group standings with Barça eliminated having finished in third place.

Final victory
The match is also a repeat of the 1993/94 UEFA Champions League final when Milan defeated Barcelona 4-0 ten years ago at Athens' Spiros Louis stadium. The victory, which matched the widest margin in a final in the history of the competition, came courtesy of two first-half goals from Daniele Massaro, and second-half efforts by Dejan Savicevic and Marcel Desailly.

Super Cup success
The two teams also met in the 1989 UEFA Super Cup when a 55th-minute goal from Alberico Evani helped Milan to a 2-1 aggregate success after the sides had drawn 1-1 at the Camp Nou. But Barça enjoyed a more favourable outcome in their first trip to the San Siro, winning 2-0 in the first leg of their 1959/60 European Champion Clubs' Cup tie before trouncing their Italian opponents 5-1 at home with Ladislao Kubala scoring a hat-trick. Barça would go on to the semi-finals where they lost 6-2 on aggregate to eventual winners Real Madrid CF.

Mixed fortunes 
Barça have hosted Italian opponents on eleven occasions, winning five, drawing four and losing the remaining two matches. The Spanish side last entertained two Italian teams during the 2002/03 season, when they defeated FC Internazionale Milano 3-0 with Javier Saviola, Phillip Cocu and Patrick Kluivert on target as they went on to win the group before losing 3-2 on aggregate to Juventus in the quarter-finals. Barça drew 1-1 in Turin after Saviola cancelled out Paolo Montero's goal, before losing 2-1 at home with Marcelo Zalayeta scoring an extra-time winner for the visitors after Xavi Hernández had cancelled out Pavel Nedved's opening goal.

Nine defeats
Overall, Milan have travelled to Spain on 16 occasions, winning three, drawing four and losing nine matches. The Italian team have faced Spanish opposition twice in the last two seasons, winning 4-0 away to RC Deportivo La Coruña in the first group stage of the 2002/03 Champions League with Filippo Inzaghi bagging a hat-trick before losing 3-1 away to Real Madrid CF in the subsequent stage although Milan would still go on to win the competition.

Shock defeat
Milan then drew 0-0 away to RC Celta de Vigo during the group stage in last season's Champions League, both sides ultimately advancing to the knockout stage, with Celta falling at the first hurdle to Arsenal FC and Milan exiting the competition in the quarter-finals to Deportivo. The Italian side looked to have booked their place in the last four when defeating Deportivo 4-1 in the opening leg at the San Siro with Kaká (45 and 49 minutes), Shevchenko (46) and Andrea Pirlo (53) responding to Walter Pandiani's eleventh-minute goal for the Spanish side. However, Deportivo mounted a competition record recovery in the return, hitting Milan for four without reply with Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valerón, Alberto Luque and Fran all on target.