Arsenal vs. Barcelona: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
Arsenal and Barcelona meet at the Emirates Stadium in what is sure to be a thrilling encounter.
These are two teams who are renowned for their attractive brand of football. Barcelona in particular seem to take the game to new aesthetic heights with each passing week, and the Gunners will have their work cut out keeping the Catalan side at bay.
Although Arsenal’s best hope of success this season is in the Premier League, the Champions League remains the Holy Grail for Arsene Wenger. It was Barcelona who robbed him of his chance to win it, beating Arsenal in the 2006 final.
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Barcelona, meanwhile, have won the competition in four out of the last 10 seasons. With an incredible squad at his disposal, Luis Enrique will be optimistic of ensuring they do it again.
Date: Tuesday, February 23
Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET
Location: Emirates Stadium, London
Television coverage: BT Sport Europe / BT Sport Europe HD / BT Sport Ultra HD (UK only), Fox Sports 1 (U.S. only)
Streaming: BT Sport app (UK only), Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S. only)
Form
Arsenal
W (2-1) vs. Burnley
D (0-0) vs. Southampton
W (0-2) vs. Bournemouth
W (2-1) vs. Leicester City
D (0-0) vs. Hull City
Barcelona
W (0-2) vs. Levante
D (1-1) vs. Valencia
W (6-1) vs. Celta Vigo
W (1-3) vs. Sporting Gijon
W (1-2) vs. Las Palmas
Thus far, Barcelona have emerged victorious in the last three ties between these two sides. They won the 2006 Champions League final, as well as two-legged affairs in 2009/10 and 2010/11.
There will surely be goals at the Emirates—Arsenal have scored in each of their last 13 Champions League games, with Barcelona netting in each of their last 19.
The Managers
Wenger has the mammoth task of finding a way to stop Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. The responsibility will feel all the more onerous, given that Arsenal have been linked to both Messi and Suarez at different points in their career, according to the Daily Star and the Sun, respectively.
Nevertheless, tonight they are the opposition, and Wenger was full of praise for their ability. When asked if they were the best attacking force in the world, the Frenchman said, per Arsenal.com:
"They are the most efficient. They are top, top class. Individually they have exceptional talent. The only way we can stop them is by being collectively resilient, having great solidarity and intelligence as well. Let’s not forget we have a good defensive record and a great goalkeeper as well.
When you see the other day that Messi scored his 300th [La Liga] goal in less than 340 games, I’ve seen many strikers in my life, but I’ve never seen a record like that.
"
Even Enrique finds it difficult to describe exactly how their telepathic understanding works on the field, telling Sky Sports it’s simply a kind of "magic":
"I tell them 'abracadabra' and the magic sparks - that is all I do. I always work really hard and I always had the chance to have plenty of good strikers in my squad, it is quite simple, quite easy.
In some situations you don't even have to wish what you would like them to do, they already do it. We have to work hard so our midfielders can give them the ball. We all have the same targets and we know how difficult it is to achieve those targets. I'm delighted with those three and also with the squad.
I have three great players, they are the chosen ones, they are eager to win and every two or three days they have new motivation. I see them training and I'm delighted to be their manager.
"
One thing is certain: If Arsenal are to stand any chance of overcoming Barcelona, they must find a way to shackle Enrique’s outstanding trio of forwards.
Team News
Arsenal
Arsenal have the same players at their disposal as they did for the FA Cup tie with Hull. However, Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey return to the squad after being rested for the cup game.
That means that Gabriel Paulista has not made it. The Brazilian centre-back had been a contender to start ahead of Per Mertesacker, with his pace potentially allowing him to cope better with the likes of Suarez and Neymar. However, it will now be the giant German who plays alongside Laurent Koscielny.
Wenger’s biggest decision revolves around his centre-forward. He has to choose between the power of Olivier Giroud and the speed of Theo Walcott. Given Walcott’s mixed form in front of goal—not to mention Giroud’s importance at set pieces—it’s likely the Frenchman will get the nod.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez; Olivier Giroud
Barcelona
Much like Arsenal, Barcelona have a largely fit squad for this game. The only absentee is Rafinha, who has been sidelined since September with a torn cruciate ligament.
After resting several key players such as Gerard Pique and Ivan Rakitic for the 2-1 win over Las Palmas on Saturday, Enrique will surely name his strongest possible XI for this match. That will mean lining up with the most celebrated trio of attackers in world football.
Predicted Barcelona XI (4-3-3): Marc-Andre Ter Stegen; Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba; Segio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar
Players to watch
Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez
This is a huge game for Alexis, as he comes up against his former club. The Chilean was effectively sold to make room for Luis Suarez, and he’ll be determined to show that Barcelona were wrong to let him go.
The problem for Alexis is that he’s woefully short of form. An unconvincing cameo against Hull at the weekend has done little to dispel concerns that he’s somewhat uninspired at present. Gunners fans will hope a tie against his former club is exactly what’s required to spark him back into life.
Barcelona: Lionel Messi
Who else? You could quite easily make a case that Messi is the greatest footballer of all time, so there’s no question where all eyes will be at the Emirates come Tuesday night.
The problem when facing Barcelona is that you can’t afford to put too much defensive attention on Messi at any one time—do that, and one of Neymar or Suarez will hurt you. Their threat is as diverse as it is deadly.
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.
