A Barça team with an average age of just 22.7 years in the starting line-up overcame BATE Borisov with exquisite football to end the Champions League group with 16 points. FC Barcelona ends the phase unbeaten and on top of its group.
Goals from Van Bommel (o.g.), Messi (pen), and Xavi, defeated AC Milan in a fantastic match, and Barça come away from the San Siro Stadium with the first place in the group mathematically secure. Ibrahimovic and Boateng twice leveled the score, which could have been greater in Barça’s favour.
Who tops the Champions League group to be decided at San Siro. A Barça win would mathematically mean they finish top with one game to play. Alves, Iniesta, Adriano, Cassano and Gattuso amongst the players out.
The FC Barcelona travelling squad has arrived in Milan where they will face AC Milan in a battle to top their UEFA Champions League group. The injured Iniesta is the main absentee, with Adriano and Afellay also out through injury and Alves suspended. Barça’s assistant coach Tito Vilanova stays home for surgery.
FC Barcelona and Benfica are the only two leading clubs in Europe who remain unbeaten since the start of the season. Guardiola’s team has indeed remained unbeaten since 30th April, when they went down in the Spanish League against Real Sociedad.
FC Barcelona have beaten Viktoria Plzen thanks to a Messi hat-trick and another goal from Cesc Fàbregas. Barça also made the 500th goal in the Guardiola era and qualified for the second round of the Champions League.
FC Barcelona’s Chilean striker is back in the 21-man squad for Tuesday’s Champions League match against Viktoria Plzen. Forward Isaac Cuenca and goalkeeper Oier Olazabal are also included for the trip to the Czech Republic.
FC Barcelona overcame Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League by just 2-0. Barça were the much better team for the whole match and created lots of chances, but had to work really hard to break down the visitors.
Barça have never won the third and fourth matches of the group stages of the Champions League under Guardiola. Tonight they will be hoping to change that as FC Barcelona face the little-known Czech outfit Viktoria Plze? (20.45 CET).
Leo Messi set another record in the game against BATE Borisov when he equalled Ladislau Kubala’s record of 194 goals for FC Barcelona, to draw level with Barça’s second highest goal scorer of all time. That’s one more record for the Argentinean –who is still only 24 years old.
Barça destroyed BATE Borisov with goals from Messi (2), Pedro, Villa, and an own goal, and came away with their first win in this season’s Champions League. Messi has drawn level with Kubala as the second top scorer in the history of FC Barcelona.
FC Barcelona visit BATE Borisov in the second game of the Champions League (20.45 CET) in search of a very important victory, following the draw against AC Milan. Alexis, Iniesta, and Afellay are all out through injury.
Josep Guardiola has named 20 players for the Champions League game on Wednesday against BATE Borisov. These are the 18 fit first team players plus Isaac Cuenca and Jonathan dos Santos from the reserves.
FC Barcelona have started their European title defence with a bittersweet draw with the Italian champions. Pedro and Villa neutralised Pato’s shock opener after 25 seconds, but when Barça looked assured of a 2-1 win, Thiago Silva headed an injury time equaliser.
The Champions League kicks off at the Camp Nou this Tuesday night (20.45 CET) with a sparkling game in store between AC Milan and FC Barcelona - the Spanish and European Champions against the reigning Italian title holders.