Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Barça and Inter have met before
FC Barcelona and Inter meet on Wednesday after being drawn together for only the second time ever in the Champions League. On the last occasion the Blaugrana were 3-0 winners in Camp Nou before the second game ended goalless in Giuseppe Meazza.
In total Barça and the Nerrazzurri have met three times in Europe with the first two meetings being in the Inter-City Fairs Cup while the most recent came in the 2002/03 campaign. The balance of the six matches is three wins for the Blaugrana, two draws and one defeat. Overall, Barça and Inter have won one tie each while the Catalan outfit overcame the Italians in group stage of hte Champions League.
Home victory
In the 2002/03 meetings, the teams were drawn together in the second phase of the groups. Radomir Antic led FC Barcelona to victory in Camp Nou as the hosts won 3-0 thanks to goals from Javier Saviola, Philip Cocu and Patrick Kluivert. That victory saw Barça make it eleven consecutive wins in the Champions League, a record that still stands in the competition.
Group progress
In the return leg, played on February 26, 2003, in Italy, there were no goals. It was a result that ended the run of victories and stood out for the tough battle that saw injuries to Cocu while Carles Puyol fractured his cheek after a collision with team-mate Frank de Boer. In that season Barça were knocked out by Juventus.
Out of the Fairs Cup
The previous meeting between the clubs came in the quarter finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969/70. On that occasion Inter proved to be too strong for Barça as the Italians won 1-2 in Camp Nou with Bonisegna, Fusté and Bertini all scoring in the game. FC Barcelona were knocked out of the event after drawing the second game 1-1 in Italy.
Comfortable wins
In 1958-60, the tournament being played over two years, was the first time that Barça and Inter met. In the first leg, the Blaugrana were dominant as they secured a 4-0 winning margin and took a step towards the semi finals. Five months later in the return game, Helenio Herrera's side were the best side yet again as they won 2-4 in Milan and the team went on to lift the trophy for the second time in their history.
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