Zubizarreta: Milan sounds good

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

While it was not quite the tie of the round as that distinction fell to Real Madrid's games against Manchester United, Barca vs Milan still makes for good reading for football fans.

The Rossoneri have won Europe's elite club competition on seven occasions while the Catalans have done it four times.

"We're talking about two big teams, a Milan-Barca always sounds good," Zubizarreta said on the Barca website.

"We played against them last year. We were in the same group and then we met in the quarter-finals. They are always a tough and difficult team, with a lot of history, an enormous stadium, good players and Bojan."

The first leg will see Barca travel to the San Siro in February and this will be the fifth time in two seasons in the UEFA Champions League the two teams have met.

Barca hold the edge with two draws and two wins in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League as the clubs faced off in both the group stage and the quarter-finals - the La Liga outfit advanced to the last four with a 3-1 aggregate success.

However, Zubizarreta is remaining cautious about dismissing Milan's quality.

"We usually say that the draw in December is very misleading because a lot can change between now and mid February," he said.

"I always believe that big teams have a lot of spirit when the Champions League recovers that European Cup feel, anything can happen."

He added: "Playing the return leg at home is vital in any playoff. It's always helpful. However, we need to plan well for the first match so we can enjoy the second one."

The second leg in Barcelona is scheduled for 12 March 2013.