Arsenal vs Barcelona

February 22, 2016
By: Milos Markovic

Arsenal face Barcelona in the elimination stage of the UEFA Champions League for the third time since 2010. Arsene Wenger is fully aware of the challenge that lies ahead as his men are getting ready to face the indomitable Catalans.

Third luck the charm for Arsenal?

Gunners were held to a goalless draw against Hull City in the fifth round of the FA Cup this weekend and even Arsene Wenger claimed he was rushing home to watch Barcelona take on Las Palmas, so it is fair to say Arsenal are fully concentrated on the Champions League against the Catalans. The stalemate against the second-tier Hull snapped the mini run of back-to-back Premier League wins, but Arsenal will not feel disappointed as Barcelona is all they are thinking about. Having been eliminated by Barcelona in 2010 and in 2011, London-based club are relishing their chances, convinced this year brings much better chances of progressing through. Arsenal are not the same time, but neither are Barcelona and we are definitely in for an exciting showdown. It will be an emotional reunion for Alexis Sanchez, as the Arsenal forward will meet his former club and Arsene Wenger has backed the Chilean to rediscover his form against the Catalans and help his team progress to the next stage of the competition. Sanchez himself claims he has no regrets over leaving Barcelona for Arsenal and says he is fully focused on putting a quality display against his former employees.

Arsene Wenger shuffled his deck a bit against Hull City. Petr Cech will get back in goal instead of David Ospina, while Iwobi and Campbell will also be replaced by Sanchez and Ozil. Jack Wilshere, Santi Casorla and Tomas Rosicky remain on the sidelines with their injuries, while Gunners have no other selection worries.

Unstoppable Barcelona

Their somewhat weaker performance against Las Palmas during the weekend should not be taken for weakness itself, but rather for anxiousness and anticipation of the things to come. Eager to repeat the last season’s heroics, Luis Enrique’s charges have already turned their attention to the UEFA Champions League. Thanks to their comfortable eight-point lead in front of Atletico Madrid, Barcelona can afford a slip in concentration which ultimately did no damage to their ongoing winning run in the league. Ninth La Liga triumph on the bounce was achieved courtesy of Luis Suarez and Neymar, who fired two in the first half to see off the resilient Las Palmas. The Uruguay striker has netted his 25th goal of the season which was also his 66th since the arrival from Liverpool. Neymar has also continued his excellent goalscoring exploits having bagged his 18th of the season. Barcelona seem unstoppable and their fantastic run of 32 matches without defeat in all competitions is there to prove it. Lead by their fantastic trident, perhaps one of the best forward trios in the history of the game, Catalans are joy to watch and menace to play against.

Barcelona have all of their first-team choices available, with the exception of Rafinha, who remains a long-term injury. Iniesta was rested against Las Palmas and is likely to get back into the fold at the expense of Roberto, who will start off from the bench.

Verdict

Arsenal are fully focused to their Champions League challenge, but Barcelona seem too strong for any side in the word right now and Arsenal will have plenty of problems getting anything out of this match. Luis Enrique’s men are a well-oiled machine and we can see them coming out of top in London.

Top pick: Away win  1.73 (8/11) @WilliamHill

Alternative pick 1: Luis Suarez to score anytime    2.08 (13/12) @888sport

Alternative pick 2: Barcelona / Barcelona    2.7 (17/10) @Coral

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  1. ibrahim says:

    barca can win