Arsenal vs. Barcelona: Match Odds, Key Players, Storylines for Round of 16 Clash

Arsenal will look to end their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 hoodoo when they welcome defending champions Barcelona to the Emirates Stadium for the first-leg clash on Tuesday.

Arsene Wenger's side have exited Europe's elite competition at this stage for the last five seasons, this despite a 2-1 home victory back in 2010-11 against Tuesday night's opponents.

Here's a look at the odds for Tuesday's match, courtesy of Odds Shark:

Arsenal to Win	4-5
Barcelona to Win	15-4
Draw	14-5

Key Players

Arsenal sit just two spots and two points off the Premier League summit with 12 league games remaining. Their success this season can be attributed—to a large degree—to the performances of German playmaker Mesut Ozil.

This season, Ozil has looked every bit of his £42 million price tag, providing 17 assists in 30 appearances for the Gunners, per WhoScored.com. His relationship with centre-forward Olivier Giroud is near-telepathic at times, and his unselfishness while in front of goal brings the best out of the players around him.

Indeed, despite Ozil's impressive assist tally, he is no longer simply a provider. The ex-Schalke attacker has learned to track back and has shown an improved team ethic while remaining as the team's creative fulcrum. 

Lucas de Leon/Associated Press

Facing Barcelona is a daunting task for any side on the world stage, with the Catalan giants having lost just once—to Sevilla—in all competitions this season, per Soccerway. Arsenal's first-leg chances rely on Ozil producing another masterclass in front of his home faithful.

For Barca, it is not Lionel Messi but Luis Suarez who is the team's leading goalscorer this term. Per WhoScored, the Uruguayan has netted an astonishing 41 goals in all competitions alongside his South American strike partners Messi and Neymar. The relationship between the attacking trio can be mesmerising, with Barcelona defender Gerard Pique claiming their combined success is due to a lack of ego, per Goal.com's Stefan Coerts.

"The only problem when you have players of this magnitude is the ego. Suarez was the main star in Liverpool, Leo before we had Suarez and Neymar; it was just him. And how they connect—they do not have any ego and this is the most important part," commented Pique.

Thierry Henry, a former player of both sides, wished Arsenal luck ahead of their European tie:

Storylines

Arsenal's inability to win silverware has been disproved, after they claimed the 2014 and 2015 FA Cup trophy, beating Hull City and Aston Villa respectively in consecutive years.

After over a decade without winning the Premier League title, the Gunners—and manager Wenger—are within touching distance of disproving their doubters once again, with the heavyweights of Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City all failing to produce their best football this campaign.

However, after almost six seasons without a quarter-final appearance in the UEFA Champions League, there appears to be a stumbling block that Arsenal must hurdle if they are to shake off their reputation as European underachievers.

The 2005-06 runners-up have been unfortunate to face world-class opponents at this stage for a number of years, including successive draws against Bundesliga side Bayern Munich. But last season's round-of-16 exit to Monaco was inexcusable, and Wenger must prepare his team for a difficult task when they face cup holders Barcelona.

Take a look at coach Wenger discussing Arsenal's recent improvements:

Per the Daily Mail, Barcelona are amid a club-record 32-game unbeaten run in all competitions. Within this run of games, the "MSN" strike force has netted an incredible 75 goals—20 more than Arsenal's entire team during this period.

Following a wonderful treble-winning season last term, Barcelona's aim this time out will be to go one step further to stake their claim as Europe's No. 1 team and win the UEFA Champions League title in back-to-back years.

No team has achieved this since the inception of the tournament in its current format in 1992. However, with 2016 Ballon d'Or winner Messi playing near his peak, and the scintillating form of his fellow attackers, Barcelona have a fantastic opportunity to make history. An away victory in the first leg in the English capital would go a small way to achieving Luis Enrique and Co.'s ultimate dream.

Argentinian superstar Messi will be out to break his goalscoring drought against Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech, having failed to score against the Czech international in his last six appearances, per Bleacher Report's Tom Webb. However, Arsenal will have their work cut out preventing the Blaugrana from scoring in their upcoming encounter, with Barca having failed to score in only two games this season, per Soccerway.