Guardiola praises 'awesome' Barcelona

FC Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola admitted it is hard to stay at the top but heaped praise on his players after they beat AC Milan to reach the semi-finals for a fifth straight season

Josep Guardiola, Barcelona coach
We were facing a team that has won seven European Cups, a side with very good players. We had 21 shots on goal against an Italian team, they had three. Having said that, if people came here tonight expecting Milan not to cross the halfway line and for us to win by a big margin, that was never going to happen. Milan have huge experience and pose a big threat. 

The season is so long, you have different spells. I don't think we're favourites [to win the trophy] – Bayern are there, Madrid [will be] there. We have won the Champions League twice in three years and have now reached five semi-finals in a row.The most difficult thing in the world is to continue because you can win anything once but to do it again is very, very tough. These players are awesome.

We have reached five semi-finals because of the effort everybody has put in and the players are happy to do their talking on the pitch. We always try to be at the highest level we can and we know we will have to reach the highest level if we want to go all the way to the final in Munich.

We are more than satisfied with the season so far and with the effort everyone has put in. We've won three trophies, are into the final of the Copa del Rey, involved in a difficult fight for the Liga, and have reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Massimiliano Allegri, Milan coach
We're disappointed because the second penalty came a few minutes before half-time, when Barcelona weren't doing much after our goal. It's a pity because the first penalty was a gift – you can't afford to do that against a team like Barcelona.

After we equalised we honestly thought we could go through because Barcelona were under a bit of pressure and weren't managing to play their football. Barcelona played their fluent football only after their third goal, which was quite lucky because a deflection changed a Messi shot into an assist for Iniesta.

You have to play perfectly to win here and we made some mistakes both defensively and in missing some important final passes when we had space in attack. In both games we had a lot of chances to create opportunities to score but weren't precise [enough] with our passes.

After their third goal it wasn't easy to react. We were all disappointed during the break after conceding late in the first half, and when we came back we soon conceded another.

Messi hails Barça's consummate display

Lionel Messi spoke to UEFA.com after yet another record-breaking night and praised FC Barcelona's ability "to take advantage of our strengths" in order to see off AC Milan.

Relief and pride were the main emotions circling the Camp Nou after FC Barcelona eliminated a stubborn AC Milan side to reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Getting to the last four of the competition for the fifth consecutive season was reason enough for celebration. However, the fact that, inspired by another fine display from Lionel Messi, they played close to their maximum to beat the Italian champions meant there was a relieved intake of breath by the time UEFA.com spoke to Josep Guardiola's players.

Forward Messi explained: "We knew, quite clearly, this was going to be a tough game but what was vital was that we also knew how to take advantage of our strengths and because of that we won and are through.

"Milan have great footballers and they are demonstrating their quality in the Italian championship and this Champions League. Like the first leg this was a hard contest but we did well and won through."

Barcelona ran out 3-1 victors – courtesy of two Messi penalties and a deft third from Andrés Iniesta – after a performance of intensity and confidence which had the Camp Nou roaring its appreciation. Antonio Nocerino's clever equaliser had tested the nerve of the hosts, but with man of the match Messi again on sparkling form Barça held out – even after Gerard Piqué limped off in the second half.

Daniel Alves, whose strong showing drew particular praise from his coach, said: "It was a really intense and fascinating game to play in. We gave everything to achieve our objectives and we produced some great stuff and many chances. No way would it have been a surprise if we had won by another couple of goals."

The Brazilian international full-back added: "When you think about being in the semi-finals after a game like that, there is a sense of relief at having eliminated a difficult, historic rival like Milan."

Messi notched his 50th goal in the UEFA Champions League, then went on to add his 14th of this European campaign with his second penalty – and third in two matches. He said that converting two spot kicks in a single game has its difficulties.

"I tried to hold off on the second penalty until the keeper committed himself but that was tricky because he [Christian Abbiati] is huge," he said. "He waited for me and I knew he could get to either side of the goal by diving full length – as he did when he got a touch to the first one. But all I care about the two goals was that they went in and I helped the team achieve our target."

The final word went to a thrilled Thiago Alcántara, the 20-year-old midfielder having been introduced as a second-half substitute. "It wasn't just a pleasure for the fans to watch this game, it was great to play in too," he said. "It was the meeting of two historic, almost mythical clubs so of course it was a lovely night to be part of. The feeling of eliminating them and reaching the semi-final is one of absolute delight and pride. It's the best."

Spain and Barça's Xavi answers your questions

Thousands of questions came in on Twitter for FC Barcelona's Xavi Hernández, who shares his views on the world's greatest ever player and reveals Spain's secret to success.

UEFA.com gave users the chance to Tweet their questions for FC Barcelona's Spanish international Xavi Hernández and the response was remarkable: #AskXavi was trending No1 worldwide on Twitter as thousands of questions came pouring in.

Widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in Europe, Xavi answered users' questions, revealing who he thinks is the best player of all time, the reason behind Spain's success and what the future holds for club-mate Thiago Alcántara. Watch the video above to see the full question and answer session.

Fàbregas jubilant on London return....!!!

Back in London for the first time since leaving Arsenal FC, Cesc Fàbregas said his move to FC Barcelona has worked out "better than I expected" as he looked ahead to facing Chelsea FC.

Preparing for a semi-final against Chelsea FC in the city he called home until last summer, Cesc Fàbregas says his return to boyhood team FC Barcelona has far exceeded his expectations.

When he finally bid farewell to Chelsea's London rivals Arsenal FC in August to rejoin the club he left as a 16-year-old in 2003, talked turned to how the midfielder would break into a side which had just completed the UEFA Champions League and Liga double.

Any concerns were quickly dispelled – the 24-year-old slotted seamlessly back into life at the Camp Nou with a flurry of early-season goals, form which has taken the man himself by surprise. "It has been much better than I expected," said Fàbregas. "I have played more than I thought I would.

"I came here to learn and get better, both as a player and person, and to experience weeks like this, when we will play Chelsea in the semi-final and Real Madrid in the league. It's the most important week of the season."

Captain of a youthful team for his final three years in north London, Fàbregas feels he has taken his game to another level in Catalonia. "I’ve learned a lot, especially tactically," he said. "At Arsenal I was free to do whatever I wanted and tactically I wasn't good at all.

"Here I have to work much more for the team and be married to my position – I can't just go wherever I want to. I have to think tactically, and that's the thing I feel I have improved on. I feel more mature as a player."

While this semi-final is a fixture steeped in recent European Cup tradition – the clubs have met ten times since 2000, most famously at this stage three years ago – Fàbregas has plenty of Chelsea-related accounts of his own to tell after facing the Blues in 16 London derbies during his time with the Gunners.

"I've had interesting games against Chelsea and now I expect to have the same with Barcelona," he said. "Even though we tried to keep possession with Arsenal it was quite difficult to play them because they can create on the break and [Didier] Drogba can score. You have to be careful about the counterattacks they can create."

Fàbregas, unlike many of his team-mates, has yet to go all the way in Europe's premier club competition. The Spanish international was part of the Arsenal side which lost to the Azulgrana in the 2006 showpiece in Paris and three years later came unstuck against Manchester United FC in the semi-final.

It is something he is desperate to put right. "This is the competition we all want to win," he added. "I was close a few years ago and it didn't happen, so to win it in my first year with Barcelona would be a dream."

Bayern meet Madrid, Chelsea play Barcelona

UEFA.com has the head-to-head records ahead of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals as final hosts FC Bayern München face Real Madrid CF and holders FC Barcelona play Chelsea FC.

Two classic European ties are in prospect after the UEFA Champions League semi-final programme was set.

FC Bayern München will stage the final on 19 May but to get there the four-time competition winners must beat the only side to have claimed nine European titles, Real Madrid CF. José Mourinho's team overcame APOEL FC 5-2 on Wednesday to go through 8-2 on aggregate.

The first leg is at the Fußball Arena München on Tuesday 17 April, with the Santiago Bernabéu return eight days later. Among these clubs' many meetings are consecutive semi-finals in 1999/2000 and 2000/01, with Madrid winning the first and Bayern the second, both eventually lifting the trophy. Bayern also knocked out Madrid in the last four in 1976 and 1987.

Holders FC Barcelona defeated AC Milan to reach the semi-finals and now take on Chelsea FC, 2-1 victors over SL Benfica on Wednesday to add to their 1-0 away success. They played at this stage in 2009 when Barcelona advanced on away goals, drawing 1-1 in London after a 0-0 Camp Nou stalemate, and picked up the third of their four European Cups.

The first leg is at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday 18 April before the conclusion in Catalonia six days later.

Messi sets new mark as Barcelona see off Milan

Lionel Messi converted two first-half penalties to set a new UEFA Champions League scoring record for a season as the holders eased into the last four.

FC Barcelona produced a performance full of power and intelligence to defeat AC Milan and progress to the semi-finals for the fifth successive season.

Two penalties from Lionel Messi, the first his 50th goal in this competition which set a new scoring mark for a UEFA Champions League season, had Barcelona in front at half-time despite a first-class equaliser from Antonio Nocerino. Andrés Iniesta extended the hosts' advantage early in the second period and the holders held on in some comfort, only Gerard Piqué limping off in the second half souring their night.

Messi's first goal, his 13th of this season's competition, came from the spot in the 11th minute but its creation was down to his intelligence and work rate. Philippe Mexès dallied in possession and Messi raced to rob him, bursting forward before unselfishly cutting the ball back. The Milan defence scrambled to recover but as Messi and Luca Antonini contested the loose ball the Italian brought down his opponent, who picked himself up to beat Christian Abbiati with the spot kick.

That goal surpassed the previous 12-goal best for a UEFA Champions League season, set by Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2002/03 and equalled by Messi himself last season, although it might have arrived even earlier. Six minutes in Daniel Alves sent in a low cross, Cesc Fàbregas produced a sweet flick but Messi unusually steered his point-blank shot wide with his right foot.

Milan were being caught in possession, the ultimate sin at the Camp Nou, but while Abbiati continued to save at the end of a flood of Barça moves there was hope. On 32 minutes hope turned into tangible reward; contrary to Piqué's regular warnings, Zlatan Ibrahimović was allowed to bring the ball down and turn. The Sweden striker slid a sublime pass into the overlapping Nocerino, who slotted in a low shot without breaking stride.

The statistic that Milan have won six out of the eight ties in which they drew the first leg 0-0 at home suddenly seemed worryingly relevant for Barça. What did not change was the sparkle of their football, Abbiati turning a fierce Fàbregas shot behind after a slick one-two with Xavi.

The twist came four minutes before half-time; as Xavi's corner curled in, Nesta tugged Sergio Busquets to the ground to give Barcelona a second penalty. Messi changed the direction of his effort but found the net just as effectively.

Even though Barcelona continued to make subtle mistakes which denied them a definitive advantage, the second half was only eight minutes old when they breached Milan's defence again to effectively settle the tie. Messi's deflected shot looped kindly into the path of Iniesta, who controlled with his left foot and beat Abbiati with his right to put Barça in charge.

Josep Guardiola's team used all their savvy and skill to control the remainder of the match and even in the late stages Adriano was clean through but dragged a shot wide. Perhaps the semi-final, against Chelsea FC or SL Benfica, will demand more clinical work.

Barça's Puyol vows to take game to Milan

"We only know one way to play: attack and win the game", said Carles Puyol, as FC Barcelona's captain weighed up the UEFA Champions League quarter-final decider against AC Milan.

Carles Puyol oozed confidence as he looked forward to FC Barcelona's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against AC Milan on Tuesday. "We only know one way to play," he said. "Attack and win the game."

This veteran of 107 UEFA Champions League fixtures has played in, and won, all three of the competition finals that Barcelona have contested over the last seven years, which perhaps explains why the seasoned defender is viewing Tuesday's visit of the Rossoneri as another final. "It is a final and we can only win," the 33-year-old told a packed press conference at Camp Nou. "No draws, no 0-0s, just victory. Camp Nou will be full and will be behind the team. The fans are always by our side and tomorrow will be no exception."

Milan are well known to the Barça captain, this being the fourth time the two sides have met this season, but Puyol sees their familiarity as neither a positive nor a negative. It is simply another high-profile challenge that he will savour. "I don't think it's good or bad to have faced them so often. They are one of the great teams in Europe, it's a match everyone wants to play. We have to be very good in our defending and in attack if we want to qualify."

After last week's San Siro stalemate, any goal will be cherished by either side, but Puyol, who came close to breaking the deadlock in Milan with a glancing header in the second half, knows that a scoring draw will be fatal for the defending European champions. "Our intention is to score first but we know that with a 1-0 you can also suffer so we have to create as many chances as possible."

One player who knows all about hitting the net is Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, Serie A's leading marksman with 22 goals. After missing out on Milan's previous visit to Barcelona with an ankle injury the Sweden international is set to make his first return to the club he left after a season's service almost two years ago.

"Zlatan is one of the best strikers in the world and difficult to defend against," added Puyol. "He's technically very good and we want him away from the box. It's not just a job for me, though; the whole team need to keep him under control. But many players make the difference for Milan – Ibra, Pato, Robinho, they can all decide a match at any time so we have to be very focused. Not just me, but the whole team."

The central defender is just one game away from making his 550th appearance in official competitions for Barcelona, and should he face Massimiliano Allegri's charges he will replace Miguel Bernardo Bianquetti as the player with the second most appearances for the Catalan side

"It's an honour for me to be in the position to be able to surpass Migueli's record. I hope to play many more games but I don't think I will be able to catch up with Xavi, because that's impossible." Barcelona's playmaker may be absent against Milan after missing training on Monday but even so, Xavi's 618 appearance total leaves Puyol some way short. Yet you suspect playing second fiddle to Xavi is unlikely to trouble a man who is a culé – the popular term for Barcelona fan – to the core.