First Knock-out Round First Leg Barcelona 23 February 2005 FC BARCELONA – CHELSEA FC ESTADI FC BARCELONA, BARCELONA WEDNESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2005 at 20.45 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIRST KNOCK-OUT ROUND, FIRST LEG FC BARCELONA v CHELSEA FC UEFA Champions League football returns to the Camp Nou for the first time in 2005 with one of the many ties which could easily have been this season’s final. The match brings together Frank Rijkaard, who won the UEFA Champions League as a player in 1995, and José Mourinho, the former member of the FC Barcelona coaching staff who went on to lead FC Porto to triumph in the competition last year. He re-encounters the club where he worked alongside Sir Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal in a fiercely competitive tie which will attract sell-out crowds in Barcelona and London as the leaders of the English and Spanish leagues battle for a place among the last eight. As if extra spice were needed, FC Barcelona’s midfielder Deco also re-encounters the coach who helped him to win the European crown last season. Two thrilling matches are in prospect. For this match a ‘security cushion’ will mean that some seats on the top tier will remain empty but the stadium is otherwise expected to be full. A total of 4,750 tickets have been made available to Chelsea FC, meaning that the home club has had to re-locate 3,469 season ticket holders. For the return leg at Stamford Bridge, over 2,000 FC Barcelona fans are expected to make the trip to London – which will signify the Catalan club’s most numerous support of the campaign. The Chelsea supporters will take all sorts of different routes to Barcelona – some of them flying to tourist destinations nearby – but 13 special flights have also been arranged. No fewer than 33 TV commentary positions have been set up in the Media Area at the Camp Nou and the match will be ‘watched’ by 34 cameras. Some 260 staff will be working for the broadcasters on site. The Press Box is also a ‘sell-out’ and over 70 reporters have had to be informed that there is no space for them. The president of the Spanish government, José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero, is expected to be among the spectators at this match. It will be the first time that a president of the Spanish government has attended an FC Barcelona game at the stadium since democracy was restored in 1975. This is the third meeting between the two clubs in Europe. The first was in the Fairs Cup 39 seasons ago. The second wasn’t until 34 years later, when the two teams were drawn against each other in the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League. Chelsea FC have played three games at the Camp Nou and have lost all three, scoring one goal and conceding a dozen. The first meeting was in the semi-finals of the 1965/66 Fairs Cup. Goals by Fusté and Zaldúa gave the Catalans a 2-0 win at the Camp Nou on 27 April 1966, with Chelsea recording an identical result at Stamford Bridge on 11 May. Two weeks later, Chelsea returned to the Camp Nou for a play-off match which they lost 5-0, with Fusté (2), Zaballa and Rifé (2) providing the goals. The next meeting – and one which a vast majority of fans will find easier to remember – came in the quarter-finals of the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League. FC Barcelona ultimately triumphed but strayed dangerously close to the brink in both legs. UEFA Press Information First Knock-out Round First Leg Barcelona 23 February 2005 FC BARCELONA – CHELSEA FC In the first match at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday 5 April 2000, they conceded three goals in nine minutes during the first half, with Gianfranco Zola (30), Tore André Flo (34, 38) providing the goals for Gianluca Vialli’s team. Fortunately for Louis van Gaal’s side, Luís Figo scored a priceless away goal after 64 minutes. Curiously, FC Barcelona had 56% of the ball and had 12 goals attempts (seven on target) compared with 10 (six on target) for the Blues. The referee was Markus Merk. During the return leg at the Camp Nou on Tuesday 18 April, the Catalans had a massive 68% of the ball (75% in the first half) and 21 goal attempts (12 on target) compared with 8 (two on target) by the visitors. Rivaldo put Barcelona ahead after 24 minutes and Luís Figo struck again on the stroke of half-time. But then a 60th-minute goal by Tore André Flo tilted the tie in Chelsea’s favour and it took an 83rd-minute reply by substitute Dani to earn the home team a 3-1 win and extra-time. Céléstine Babayaro was sent off in the 98th minute and Rivaldo converted the ensuing penalty. Patrick Kluivert then made it 5-1 in the 104th minute. At the Camp Nou, Louis van Gaal fielded: Hesp; Puyol (Abelardo 86), Reiziger (Sergi 105), De Boer, Gabri; Guardiola, Cocu; Figo, Rivaldo, Zenden (Dani 72); and Kluivert. The unused subs were Arnau, Xavi, Litmanen and Simão. In other words, only three of the 18 players are still at the club. Gianluca Vialli fielded: De Goey; Babayaro, Leboeuf, Desailly, Morris; Ferrer (Lambourde 46), Deschamps (Petrescu 102), Di Matteo, Wise; Zola (Poyet 106); and Flo. The unused subs were Cudicini, Thome, Ambrosetti and Sutton. Not many survivors there either… José Mourinho says "I remember that in the first game Chelsea could have scored four or five but Figo's goal gave us life for the second leg. In extra-time Rivaldo killed the game off. It was maybe a little unfair on Chelsea at the time but I don't think there will be as many goals this time. This time it is 50-50, well, 51-49 because I'm an optimist." FC Barcelona have an awesome home record against English visitors, having won 18, drawn 6 and lost only 1 of their 25 games in the Catalan capital, scoring 57 goals and conceding just 11. Liverpool have been the only English visitors to win at the Camp Nou. However, the success dates back to the 1975/76 UEFA Cup, when John Toshack’s 13th-minute goal gave the Reds their 1-0 victory. Manchester United, thanks to their 3-3 draw en route to the 1999 UEFA Champions League final – at the Camp Nou – are the only English team to have scored more than one goal at this venue (apart from the English national team who won 2-0 here in 1980 thanks to goals by Kevin Keegan and Trevor Francis). Chelsea FC have a poor record in Spain, having posted just one win – seven years ago – in six visits. The other five have ended in defeat and the overall record reads three goals in favour and 17 against. Statistics – FC Barcelona This is Barça’s ninth UEFA Champions League dating back to 1993, with a record of played 86 won 45 drawn 21 lost 20. They have scored 164 goals and conceded 105. There tend to be plenty of goals around when FC Barcelona play in the UEFA Champions League with the 86 previous games seeing no fewer than 269 scored at an average of 3.14 per match. Overall, the Catalans’ record in this competition since winning their solitary title at Wembley in 1992 - and then reaching the final two years later - shows two semi-final appearances, in 1999/00 and 2001/02, to show for their efforts. UEFA Press Information First Knock-out Round First Leg Barcelona 23 February 2005 FC BARCELONA – CHELSEA FC Since their defeat in the 2001/02 semi-final by Real Madrid CF in the first leg at the Nou Camp, FC Barcelona have won eight, drawn one and lost one of the last 10 UEFA Champions League home games. The only defeat was by Juventus in April 2003 (2-1). Barça have scored three goals in their last four UEFA Champions League games. They have achieved one shut-out in the last eight UEFA Champions League games Statistics – Chelsea FC This is the third UEFA Champions League season for Chelsea FC. In 1999/2000 they lost the quarter-final to FC Barcelona and, last season, the semi-final to AS Monaco. Chelsea FC’s current run is two defeats in their last 16 UEFA Champions League games. The first was at AS Monaco by 3-1 in the first leg of last season’s semi-final, while the second was at FC Porto in the final group game this season. In those 16 games, Chelsea FC have won nine, drawn five and lost twice. Chelsea FC have lost seven of their total of 32 UEFA Champions League games. Chelsea have conceded three goals in their group games this season and all three goals to FC Porto in a 3-1 win at home at a 2-1 loss in Porto. Since the start of the 2003/04 season, Chelsea have won seven of nine away games. In those games only Arsenal FC, AS Monaco and FC Porto have scored against them. Chelsea FC have scored two goals in their last three UEFA Champions league games From Matchday 6 to now FC Barcelona ended the group phase with their second defeat in the competition, going down 2-0 to FC Shakhtar in Donetsk. Despite the experimental line-up, the Catalans had 61% of the ball and nine goal attempts compared with eight by the home team.