Hope for Arsenal Fans: Lionel Messi Has Never Scored Against Petr Cech

Nervous Arsenal fans desperately seeking a reason to believe the Gunners can beat European champions Barcelona may find encouragement in Petr Cech's incredible record against Lionel Messi.

As noted by the Mirror's Richard Innes, in six appearances against a Chelsea side featuring Cech, the Argentinian has failed to score a single goal.

That includes the 2012 UEFA Champions League Semi-Final, during which Messi even missed a penalty when faced with the Czech stopper's intimidating presence.

Cech's record against Luis Suarez isn't too bad either, with the Uruguayan scoring just twice in five appearances against him. As for Neymar, Tuesday will be the first time the pair have faced each other.

All together, that means in a combined 11 appearances against Cech, Barca's famed MSN trio have scored only twice for an average of 0.18 goals per game.

Cech has lost only one of those games.

Bring it on.

[h/t the Mirror]