Champions League: Arsenal and Roma Battle for Quarterfinal Spot

The battle for a quarter final place in the Champions League commences this Tuesday when Arsenal and Roma go head to head, both needing to win the tie as their domestic league challenges seem irretrievable.

And this tie will be played in this manner; both teams will spare no effort in their quest to progress in this competition which is great news for the neutral because this promises to be an exciting game.

Both teams posses an array talented players so this tie will be affected much by current form.

And there is no better form than that of Arsenal at the moment.

Arsenal's season seems to be getting back on track after a very shaky start, with the talented Robin Van Persie in a rich vein of form.

In defense, Toure and Gallas seem to have put their differences behind them with some fine defensive displays.

Eduardo's return can not be underestimated and gives a major boost to the squad, while Alexander Song has a new found confidence and seems to have grown in stature as a player. He has been impressive as of late and is finally looking like he may be able to fill the void left by Flamini.

It is unlikely that Adeybayor will be fit for this game, so responsibility may fall on the shoulders of the inconsistent Bendtner, who is talented but needs to produce on a regular basis. Only then will he become the player that his talent demands.

Another notable absentee for this game will be captain Cesc Fabregas, but this young Arsenal team has produced an impressive run in his absence. In particular, Nasri has stepped up to the plate, filling this void left by Fabregas, so there is no reason why this run should stop at Roma.

Roma and Arsenal have a lot in common, having both underachieved in their respective leagues this season.

Runners up in Serie A last season, Roma now lies in sixth place despite a recent unbeaten run of seven games, picking up 17 points from a possible 21 in the last seven games. This ended abruptly against lowly Atalanta in a 3-0 defeat on Sunday. What effect this result will have on the morale of the squad we can only wait and see.

Even though Roma is capable of playing attractive football, they do not have a convincing defensive record, conceding heavily on their travels. This is something that free flowing Arsenal will relish at the Emirates.

One man will be looking to prove his worth and this is Julio Baptista, who returns to the Emirates after Arsenal decided against making his loan move from Real Madrid permanent in the summer of 2007. He will be hoping to add to his eight goals this season.

Roma possess more experience than Arsenal, especially with the veteran Totti on the team.

Despite this fact, Arsenal have to be favourites for this game. There is no denying that on their day no team can contain the young gunners. Consistency is the weakness of this talented team as well as the inability to cope with the physical challenges that they face in the Premier League.

However, in the Champions League this is not a concern due to the technical nature of the teams. This is why most of Arsenal's greatest nights have been and will continue to be in Europe.

Arsenal will win this game by at least a couple of goals and keep the fans dreaming of yet another Champions League final.