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Barcelona‘s statistics in the Champions League this season are far superior than those of AC Milan. The two teams face-off on Wednesday at the San Siro in the first leg of the first knockout round, and have opposing styles of football, as well as the numbers prove it.
Controlling the ball is the forte of Barcelona in every game. Barcelona’s supremacy in this section is astonishing. Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and co. have recorded a 71% possession rate on an average, which translates into a total of 45 minutes of actual play every game with the ball at their feet. None of the teams in the competition come anywhere near them.
AC Milan, on the other hand, reaches only 49% of possession, which is one of the worst in this year’s Champions League among the teams remaining. This suggests that the Rossoneri will focus on their defence tonight, while looking to create a chances on the break.
Other stats make it even more clear that both teams have contrasting duel of styles. For example, Barcelona have made 5,078 passes in the six games played so far, and a total of 4334 were completed, which translates to an 85% accuracy. On the other side of the coin are the Rossoneri, who made 2,917 passes, of which 1967 were completed, translating to a 68% accuracy.
