FCBARCELONA.CAT

04.03.2008 10:22

Barça v Celtic: Did you know that...

Jordi Clos

The Champions League is coming back to the Camp Nou, a competition which always throws up lots of facts and figures.

- Barça’s 2-3 victory in the first leg was Celtic’s first home defeat in 17 Champions League matches. The previous one had been against, you guessed it, Barça in the group matches in the 2004/05 season.

- Leo Messi’s two goals at Celtic Park made him into the competition’s top goalscorer this season alongside Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard. Both have found the net six times.

- Messi and Touré Yaya will have to be careful as they are only one card away from having to serve a one-match ban.

- If Bojan scores he will become the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Champions League.

- The Bhoys have always done badly away from home and have lost 15 out of 16 games. Oddly enough, the only draw was in the Camp Nou in 2004.

- This season has been no exception as they have lost on the road against Milan, Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk.

- It will be the second time a Scottish team has come to the Camp Nou this season, with Rangers being the visitors on 2 November when they went down 2-0 .

- And it’s the sixth time that a Scottish outfit has played at Barça’s ground in a European competition. Aside from Rangers, Celtic and Dundee have done it twice each one.

- Both Barça and Celtic got knocked out in the quarter finals last term, with the Catalans being eliminated by Liverpool while Milan saw off the Hoops.

- Barça is the only side in the Champions League whose average possession is up at 60%.

- Rijkaard’s men have taken the second-highest number of corners at 51, behind Manchester United at the top of the list with 56. By contrast Celtic have taken the fewest at only 24, while the Bhoys have also been caught fewest times offside, being flagged on just 11 occasions.