Arsenal vs FC Barcelona Preview Champions League Quarter Finals 31/03/2010

Arsenal vs Barcelona Champions League Quarter Finals March 31st 2010- Emirates Stadium London Kick-off time 20.45 CET - The Champions League Quarter Final encounter between Arsene Wenger´s Arsenal and Pep Guardiola´s Barcelona is not a clash of football philosophies. It is an encounter between kindred spirits, coaches who demand not only results, but also good and attractive play to go with them. Former Barcelona-trainer Rinus Michels once famously remarked that ,,Football is like war. All that matters is you win”. This cut-throat-take-no-prisoners approach is not the gospel of Guardiola and Wenger. Both prefer stylists as Messi, Iñiesta, Xavi, Fabregas and Van Persie and have shown over the years that good results do not require the much favoured defensive tactics of other succesful teams.

With attractive football Barcelona won everything there was to win last seasosn. In the summer Guardiola swapped striker Samuel Eto´o for Inter´s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, changing strength and speed for more football and tactical options. It is undeniable this years Barca is having more difficulties winning its games than last year. Real Madrid are Liga-leaders on goal difference and Guardiola´s team was knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Sevilla in the quarter finals. Still the trust is there that the Catalan side can win the two biggest prizes of the season, the national and the European Club Championship. All that is needed is to play a little better every game in the final phase in the season, said Guardiola, a feat not easily achieved.

Tonight´s game in the Emirates Stadium is a replay of the 2006 Champions League final in Paris, won 2-1 by Barcelona, a game slightly stained by an early expulsion of Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. Still, a man down Wengers team took the lead and held onto it until the last fifteen minutes. Eto´o equalized in the 76th minute, Beletti sentenced the game four minutes later.

But those were other times and other teams. The Barcelona of 2006 was the Barcelona of Rijkaard, Ronaldinho and Deco, with less prominent places for today’s weight bearers Iñiesta, Messi and Xavi and newcomers like Alves and…..Guardiola, who was then in charge of the youth teams.

The face of Arsenal has changed a lot too since that memorable May night in Paris. Tonight Wenger´s starting line-up heavily leans on Arshavin and no longer includes players like Hleb, Ljungberg and Thierry Henry, who made a giant transfer to Barcelona in the summer of 2007. The Frenchman (167 goals for Arsenal) has announced he will not celebrate any goal he might make tonight, Wenger in return has promised he will be given a warm welcome at his former club.

 Both sides have some injuries to cope with that might seriously dent their playing strength. Barcelona will sourly miss Andres Iñiesta, the perfect ballwinner-and-keeper with an keen eye for creating attacking chances while scoring a goal once in a while himself as well. Left defender Abidal (muscle injury) will probably be replaced by Maxwell. Gerard Piqué is in the ´doubtful´ category.

Arsenal will have to do without Robin van Persie, during most of the season a pivotal figure in Arsenals attacking line-up. Former Barcelona junior-player Cesc Fabregas, who Barcelona boss Joan Laporta would love to sign as a ´goodbye gift´ for his eight year tenure as club president, is a 50-50 proposition to play for Arsenal tonight, suffering an ankle injury.

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