Arsenal Will Need a Nearly Perfect Two Games To Eliminate Barcelona

Arsenal will play host to Barcelona on Wednesday for the first knockout round of the Champions League. The Gunners come into the match on a 2-0 victory over Wolves, whereas Barcelona had to overcome an early deficit to Sporting Gijon to gain a single point. 

Pep Guardiola rested Sergio Busquets and Pedro for this weekend’s match, but after being down 1-0 at halftime, he was forced to at least bring in Pedro. Barcelona may have exerted themselves much more then Guardiola would have liked against Sporting Gijon. Will Arsenal be able to take advantage of that come Wednesday night.

There are a few key factors that Arsenal will have to focus on in order to be able to knock Barcelona out of the Champions League. 

Keeping Possession of the Ball and Testing Valdes Will Be Important

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 05: Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St James' Park on February 5, 2011 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Richard Heathco

Arsenal will have to make sure that they don’t allow Barcelona to dictate the pace of the game. It is well known that Barcelona can easily string together 30 to 40 passes, but Arsenal will have to keep their shape and be patient.

It is more than probable that Arsenal will not alter their style of play regardless of who they are playing, but playing the mastermind's of the beautiful passing game should be a cause for concern. Barcelona passes the ball better than any other team hands down, and offensively they can come at you from all angles.

Arsenal will have made sure they don’t continuously try to walk the ball into the Barcelona 18 yard box. It is more than likely that if they try to do so, they will only end up frustrating themselves. 

Taking shots from outside the area will draw out Barcelona's defenders and open up space behind the back line. Teams that play against Arsenal are normally able to sit deeper because they know the Gunners squad prefers that perfect pass other than a shot on goal.

Alex Song Will Have to Play a Big Role In Arsenal's Midfield

Scott Heavey/Getty Images

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 12: Kevin Doyle of Wolves (L) tangles with Alex Song of Arsenal during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers on February 12, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

Alex Song has been able to impose himself very well in Arsenal's midfield this year and the two matches against Barcelona will be very important.

He has been able to throw his weight around in the Premier League, and Arsenal will need Song to be influential on Wednesday. The Gunners don’t have another force equivalent to Song in their roster. His help from Jack Wilshere and Cesc Fabregas will be critical.

Song will have to be very careful on the offensive end as he does get caught out at times. Keeping their shape will be important throughout the two games. Arsenal can’t afford to have Song get caught out of position because Barcelona's great midfield will easily take advantage of that. 

Shutting Down Xavi, Iniesta and Messi Wont Be Easy, But It Can Be Done

David Ramos/Getty Images

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JANUARY 12: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona (C) holds the Ballon d'Or trophy flanked by his teammates Andres Iniesta (L) and Xavi Hermandez prior the Copa del Rey quarter final first leg match FC Barcelona and Betis at Camp Nou on January

Shutting down the top three players in the world isn’t an easy task for anyone, but it surely can be done. The question is can the three of them be shut down without playing a very defensive style? 

Unfortunately Arsenal will most likely have to play on the counter attack and balance possession. The Gunners will have to be careful as to where they are going to pressure Barcelona's midfield men. 

As we know, Barcelona will pressure very quickly and will shut down there midfield as soon as they lose possession. Arsenal will have to make sure that when they lose possession they will have to close down Xavi, Iniesta & Messi. Forcing Barcelona to play wide will be one way to shut them down.

The longer Pep Guardiola's squad keeps the ball in the center of the park, the more vulnerable Wenger's back line will become.

Barcelona Will Be Missing Puyol. Arsenal Will Have to Take Advantage Of That.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 08: Robin van Persie of Arsenal celebrates as he scores their first goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Arsenal and FK Partizan Belgrade at the Emirates Stadium on December 8, 2010

Barcelona has confirmed that Puyol will not be making his presence felt in the match at the Emirates. Arsenal will need to make sure that is there main focusing point on the offensive end.

Robin Van Persie being in such good form is an advantage for Arsene Wenger. Arsenal will most likely start the match with Van Persie playing as the single striker with Arshavin and Walcott bringing the pressure from the outside. 

Fabregas will be orchestrating Arsenal's offense and he will have to make sure they take the game to Gabriel Milito who will most likely be starting for Puyol. 

Milito isn’t going to be as big a presence as Puyol would be, and Van Persie should be able to have a bit more freedom with the captain of the Blaugrana missing in action.

Final Analysis: Which Arsenal Team Will We See On Wednesday Night?

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 25: Laurent Koscielny of Arsenal celebrates with Johan Djourou as he scores their second goal during the Carling Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Arsenal and Ipswich Town at Emirates Stadium on January 25, 2011 in London,

Arsenal will have to come out on Wednesday and show that they are not going to be push overs. They need to want this match more than Barcelona, and they should have last year’s elimination in mind.

One of the advantages for Arsenal is that Djourou and Koscielny will be side by side in the center of the Gunners defense. By playing a team like Barcelona it will eliminate all the long balls in the air that have caused the Gunners back line problems all year. 

It has been rumored that Nasri may be available on Wednesday. If he is not 100% will it be worth risking him re-aggravating his injury?

Barcelona battled hard to gain a point this weekend and that could possibly take a toll on the Blaugrana squad. If Arsenal concede an early goal or come into the game visibly nervous, Barcelona will be sure to take it to Wengers team early.

Last Note:

A confident and healthy Arsenal squad can surely give Barcelona a run for their money. Barcelona goes into the elimination as clear favorites, but it will be up to the Gunners to try and prove the world wrong.

If Arsenal is able to eliminate Barcelona, do they become one of the favorites to make it to the final of the UCL? Will this elimination have any effect on Arsenal's push for the EPL title?

Hopefully the world will witness one of the greatest matches in Champions League History on Wednesday night