Tuesday, April 6, 20:45 CET – Camp Nou, Barcelona

In order to properly define what this match is, one must first define what it isn’t, and that is simple. This match is not a league game, nor does it have anything to do with any played before or after. On the weekend, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-1 while Arsenal downed Wolverhampton 1-0. These results are of zero relevance for this tie and shall not even be welcomed into the aura of thought when pondering a winner for this match.

Each of the side’s respective leagues hold in store mammothclashes for both of them come next matchday. While Barcelona will partake in arguably the biggest match in Europe – the El Clasicoagainst Real Madrid, Arsenal will be fighting for a chance at first place in the Premier League in their match against bitter rivals Tottenham.
Pondering these matches will inevitably lead to an immediate demise in the UEFA Champions League and ought to be cast away and forgotten; they are of no use in this game.

FC Barcelona vs Arsenal FC. That is what this game is, and that is all it will be.
The situation does not need to be plastered across the dressing rooms and stadium; there is no need for it to be fed to the players like food to a baby. There is no margin for error in this match. There will be no second chances. Upon the final blow of the whistle, there will be no “what ifs”, there will be no regrets, and no arguments. The aggregate in this game will remain relevant until someone scores. At which point all that matters is that one team must get the ball into the net more times than the other. That is the definition of this match.

59 minutes gone and with barely an effort made, FC Barcelona were laughing. Two goals to the good and on away soil, the Catalans were in a position of seeming invincibility.
Gathering and most importantly maintaining possession came without thought for the Blaugrana, as the fixture that once held so much promise began to weave into an inevitable formality in favour of the superior Spaniards.
The 70th minute drew nearer and in sequence Arsene Wenger used up his third and final substitution. The frail figure of Theo Walcottconspicuously entered the blood bath. He was an immediate threat. Taking advantage of the embarrassingly slower Maxwell, the English international tore down the right hand flank within seconds, following Eboue’s through ball, only for Valdes to collect the centered strike calmly.
There was to be no second chance however for Valdes. Once again in textbook fashion, Walcott blazed through Barcelona’s left hand side of defence to sensationally strike the ball beneath the hand of the Blaugrana shotstopper’s gloves, providing Arsenal with what was at the time a bleak glimmer of hope. However, it was bleak for a minimal time only, the momentum swung, Barcelona became sloppy, a once rare turnover became a constant facet of Barca’s game as the two sides seemingly swapped uniforms with Arsenal beginning to dominate the game in Catalan-like fashion. As the momentum continued to build and the fans’ support became an immense advantage the unavoidable occurred. Nicklas Bendter found space following a deflection in the box and nodded down to Cesc Fabregas.
What happened next has been immensely plagued with controversy and criticism this week throughout media and club affiliates, but nothing can change it. Arsenal skipper Fabregas swung back for the ultimate strike at Valdes’s bread basket, only for his leg to be caught within those of Carles Puyol. Thus Fab was brought down, thus a penalty was given, thus Puyol was sent off and thus Fabregas dealt his boyhood club the sucker punch.
Arsenal 2 – 2 Barcelona.

The first leg has been summed up, the score has been named, however now is the time for it to be left behind. The V2 of this tie is a completely different game. Each of the teams will be without a majority of their best players and as a result line ups will be completely rearranged. Not only will this change the tie, but another variable will become the major factor that defines the first leg from the second like no other. This factor is the location.

The biggest stadium in Europe.
Despite its fine architecture, its bursting atmosphere and its sheer awe, the Camp Nou boasts this aforementioned title as its proudest. Not only does this immense stadium possess a huge size, but it is also a fortress of terror for those who visit it.

In the 1009/10 season, FC Barcelona have played 22 professional matches within the stadium, encompassing the Spanish Super Cup, the Spanish Primera, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. Of the 21 matches, 18 have been won, 1 league match drawn, and only two have been lost in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

Not once this season have Barca failed to score inside the Camp Nou, and across the 21 matches played within the stadium they have averaged 2.7 goals per game compared to averaging a mere 0.5 goals against per game.
In the Champions League Barcelona have not – since November – conceded a single goal at home, and have overall only allowed an average of 0.5 goals to enter the back of their nets when inside the Camp Nou.

With a home record as impressive as this, the North Londoners would be praying that their Gunners have an away stat card to match. But they don’t.
This season Arsenal have played 24 professional matches on the road. Of those matches, Arsene Wenger’s men have recorded 11 wins, 5 draws and 8 losses.
Across those matches they have averaged 1.7 goals and have in turn conceded an average of 1.3 goals.
Among Europe’s best, Arsenal continue to falter when on the road, having – not including the qualifying stages – after 4 matches managed only 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses.

The number-crunch game could be played out to the infinites until the hopes of Arsenal fans and players alike are trampled into a grim realisation and admission of premature defeat. However this will not be the case with this fixture. The reason that Barcelona have conceded so few and scored so many goals is due to the fact that they had one of the best strikers and two of the best centre backs in the world among their ranks. The question being posed for this match is how will the Blaugrana manage to maintain this record, when these players are absent?

Team News

Barcelona

The medical reports and absentee lists have been the sensations that have rocked Catalunya to the core this week, and for all the wrong reasons. Star striker and in-form Swedish International Zlatan Ibrahimovic heads the fatality list due to a tear suffered in the player’s right calf, sustained in the pre-match warm up for his side’s game against Athletic Bilbao at the weekend.
Meanwhile Andres Iniesta’s expected return has been delayed to later in the week after the player pulled his hamstring in the 1-0 win at Mallorca a fortnight ago.

The woes up front have not been helped by Barcelona’s additional defensive horrors in the suspensions of star centre backs Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol. A makeshift defence will be in order for the Blaugrana, however Dymtro Chygrynskiy is ineligible for selection while star-stand in from last season Yaya Toure is also unavailable due to bruised ankle. This means that the combination of Rafael Marquez and Gabriel Milito is all but set in stone for the Blaugrana who – when they were last put in the position of conjuring up a defence from nothing – went down 2-1 at the hands of Atletico Madrid.

It has been for what seems like an eternity foretold that one day Bojan will step into the shoes of FC Barcelona’s number one striker. It has been a long wait, but now the day has come for Barca’s youngest ever scorer to step up and take on the big time. His performance mid-week was clinical and as a result he should earn himself a start in Ibrahimovic’s absence.

Predicted Starting XI, Barcelona:Valdes – Alves – Marquez – Milito – Abidal – Xavi – Busquets – Keita – Messi – Bojan – Pedro

Arsenal

If Culés thought their own club’s problems were bad then wait until they hear the list for their English counterparts.
Arguably Arsenal’s two best players in Andrei Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas will both be missing the game due to injury. Fabregas however would be unable to take part in this game even if he were fit due to suspension.

William Gallas was risked in the first leg by Wenger at a tough price, with the Frenchman being ruled out for the rest of the season. Meanwhile long term absentees Johan Djourou, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey and Robin van Persie are all once again out.

UPDATE: Alex Song has been declared as another player to miss this match for the gunners after scans revealed that the midfielder has an inflamed knee cartilage.

Predicted Starting XI, Arsenal:Almunia – Sagna – Campbell – Vermaelen – Clichy – Denilson – Eboue – Diaby – Walcott – Bendtner – Nasri

Key Players

Xavi

Tight marking and restrictive zoning saw Lionel Messi go missing for extensive periods of play last week and this marking should double come tonight’s game. Thus space will need to be created and Xavi is just the man to do that. The unlocking of this game will depend on him as Barca search for the first break of space in which to launch an almighty onslaught at the Gunners.

Nicklas Bendtner

Arsenal need a defence in order to stop Barcelona’s merciless attack, whereas the Gunners also need a strong midfield to attempt to shut down the Blaugrana before they can even build. However at the end of the day, to win this game Arsenal need goals, and Bendtner is one of the only few players within the squad that has goals written all over him.
In impressive form of late, the Danish International poses a huge vertical threat to the Blaugrana, an area in which the Spanish game has never thrived.

Prediction

In order to pick a winner one must add each of the influencing factors together into one ultimate pot. Barcelona has a superior home record to that of the away statistics for Arsenal, whereas Barcelona are without Puyol, Ibrahimovic and Pique, while Arsenal are without Gallas, Fabregas and Arshavin. Only problem is, these factors are all but irrelevant. The fact that this is a UEFA Champions League game makes it among the most unpredictable of games in which Barcelona will partake this season.

Without a doubt the Catalans were the dominating force in the first leg, and in the Camp Nou with 100,000 roaring them onward, the result seems inevitable for the Blaugrana. However, performing well under makeshift defence has not become Barca’s forte this season, and as a result the mystery as to who will be the superior side in this match looms large once again.
The winner of this match will be decided on willpower and the burning anxiety to reach the next stage, while Arsenal have plenty to prove, Barcelona have little.
Although the aforementioned does not point to the prettiest of results, it does indicate a positive one for Pep Guardiola’s Gladiators.

Barcelona 1 – 1 Arsenal

Leo10.