Barcelona FC: Are the Catalan Giants Beatable in the UEFA Champions League?

Last season Barcelona dominated their way to a second UEFA Champions League trophy in three years. The Spanish giants beat Manchester United to claim their title in 2011, just as they did in 2009, with Pep Guardiola looking to have Sir Alex Ferguson's number both times.

Once again Barcelona returned to the competition with huge expectations before facing off against AC Milan in their open match of the group stages. AC Milan is another club with a storied history in the competition; despite lacking Zlatan Ibrahimovic from their starting 11 on the day, they still are a potent side steeped in Champions League nostalgia.

Alexander Pato put the Italians in the lead within the first minute and then Thiago Silva scored at the death to allow AC Milan to take a late draw against the defending champions. This has called into question the reality of Barcelona being beaten at some point this season and maybe even knocked out after the group stages.

Injuries have started to plague the Blaugrana; Alexis Sanchez, Carlos Puyol and now Andres Iniesta are all currently on the treatment table. Gerard Pique was also unavailable. However, the midfield is just as well stocked as the attack, thanks to new addition Cesc Fabregas.

So far the biggest weakness that has been seen for Barcelona is their defense. Their depth at the back is where they are the thinnest and the only place they can at times be truly exploited or suspect. They have had to deputize midfielders in recent weeks, and even last season, as Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets both started against AC Milan.

If there is any way to truly shut down the Barcelona attack from David Villa, Lionel Messi and Pedro Rodriguez, it is yet to be seen.

Despite being drawn, the defending champions still claimed 75 percent possession and had seven out of 22 shots on target. AC Milan only pulled through with 25 percent possession, getting off only six shots with two or the three on goal going in.

From that, it seems there are only two ways to beat Barcelona. The first is to contain the attack as much as possible and rely on counter attacks and set pieces to find a means to exploit any weaknesses.

Barcelona's average height can hurt them on corners—it did in the dying minutes. The counter attack can also expose them; their full backs like to get forward and every once in a while can be caught out of position. This is a rare occurrence, but it may allow one or two well-timed counters to get through and have a chance of being successful.

The only other way teams are going to beat Barcelona is by catching them on an off day—which they may have twice a year—and being merciless in the process. If a team takes it's foot off the gas just once, Barcelona will flip around and take the game right back—even on a bad day.

The bottom line is that Barcelona are the best in the world when at full strength and while any team is beatable on any given day, the Blaugrana are perhaps the toughest test at any moment. While they can be beaten, the reality of it happening is rare.

Thanks for following me and be sure to read further on Bleacher Report and at the links below. You can follow me on Twitter  @thedailyatz and Facebook or visit my Website.