From the Miniestadi to the Champions League

From the Miniestadi to the Champions League

In February 2012, five current Ajax players were in the Miniestadi for the NextGen Series quarter final Striker Viktor Fischer got two of the Dutch goals that day The FC Barcelona team included Samper, Grimaldo, Dongou, Bagnack and Patric

Barça host Ajax at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night at 8.45 PM CET, after the two sides met in a competitive match for the first time ever this time last year. But their respective U19 sides met back in 2011-12 for the quarter finals of the NextGen Series, with Ajax owning the Miniestadi to the tune of a 3-0 win.

Some of those Ajax youngsters are now in the first team, and are therefore back in Barcelona to play on the other side of the road, inside the Camp Nou itself.

Barça representation

FCB midfielder Sergi Samper was also involved in that game in 2012, and has since made his Champions League debut at the age of just 19 years when Luis Enrique used him for 90 minutes against Apoel. Other familiar faces in the U19 team of two years ago are Grimaldo, Bagnack, Dongou and Patric, all of whom now play for Barça B. Patric also has Champions League experience, and against Ajax no less, in the 2-1 loss at the Amsterdam Arena last year.

Five from Ajax

Five of the current Ajax first team appeared in that NextGen Series quarter final, namely defenders Joël Veltman, Stefano Denswill and Ruben Ligeon, midfielder Davu Klaassen and striker Viktor Fischer. The Dane was the star of the show that day, scoring two goals and setting up the other. Fischer played for the first team last season against Barça at the Amsterdam Arena, after being left out the side that came to the Camp Nou.

Força Barça
Força Barça

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