Barcelona will look to put the tie to bed after having escaped the first leg with a two goal lead which puts them in control of the Round of 16 tie against familiar European foes, Arsenal.
Having put in a brave performance in the first leg at home, Arsenal will have to play their best football to have any hope of winning the tie at the Camp Nou where Barcelona possess the comfort of an incredible run of form.
With Arsene Wenger having himself played down Arsenal’s chance of overturning the deficit, the Gunners chasing the game will make for a delightful European night at the Camp Now.
Kickoff and Live Telecast
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Channel: Ten Action, Ten HD
Date and Time: 17th March 2016; 1.15 AM IST
Venue: Camp Nou
Team News
Barcelona
Barcelona are set to name a full strength team for the tie having rested key players in their previous league encounter. Luis Suarez, Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano, Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic are all expected to return to the starting line-up at the Camp Nou.
Gerard Pique will, however, miss the tie owing to a suspension laid on him for a booking in the previous leg. Marc-Andre ter Stegen is expected to man the goal on the night as is usual for him in Barca’s European games.
Arsenal
Arsenal continue to have key players out for the game but have received a massive boost with Laurent Koscielny having announced his return for the game having been kept out with a calf problem before.
Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey are out injured and will be replaced by Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin in the starting line-up. David Ospina will continue in between the posts considering the injury to Petr Cech and Danny Welbeck, Joel Campbell and Theo Walcott will fight out for their chance to start the game.
Probable Lineups
Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen, Alves, Mascherano, Mathieu, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta, Messi, Suarez, Neymar.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Elneny, Ozil, Sanchez, Welbeck, Giroud
Form
Barcelona
Barcelona come into the game fresh off a tennis score win against Getafe having routed the Madrid-based outfit 6-0 with key players rested. Barcelona remain unbeaten in 37 straight games having won their last 12 in the league. Barca has also won 19 of the last 22 games at the Camp Nou and is Europe’s form team at the moment.
Lionel Messi had a goal and a hat-trick of assists in the last La Liga game vs Getafe with Neymar securing a brace. Luis Suarez was rested for the match. Barcelona come into the game with two away goals having kept a clean sheet at The Emirates Stadium in the first leg.
Last 5 Matches: W-W-W-W-W (Last Match: Barcelona 6-0 Getafe)
Arsenal
Arsenal step into the game, two goals down from the first leg and a horde of injuries to key players for this fixture. The Gunners, having been knocked out of the
in the weekend are facing an uphill task preventing the same fate at the Camp Nou.
Arsenal are evidently in the middle of a slump having not won more than 1 of their last 5 games across all competitions, a 4-0 thumping of Hull before losing to Watford in the FA Cup.
Last 5 Matches: L-L-D-W-L (Last match: Arsenal 1-2 Watford)
Key Stats:
- Barcelona have scored twice or more in 7 of their last 8 games against Arsenal
- Barcelona are unbeaten for 37 games across all competitions.
- Barcelona have scored at least 2 goals in 16 of their last 19 Champions League matches.
- Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 22 games at home.
- Barcelona have won their last 12 games in the La Liga.
Key Battles:
Luis Suarez vs Laurent Koscielny
Arsenal will have to desperately hold on to a clean sheet on the evening if they are to have any chance of progressing from this rather inconvenient situation that the London club find themselves in. Key to their efforts will be Laurent Koscielny who is their best defender in any normal circumstance.
However, having just returned from a calf injury, Luis Suarez will relish the opportunity to assault his old nemesis whom he has had mixed success against in the past. Luis Suarez is fit and rested and would be favorite on the night to dominate the Arsenal defense. Yet, Laurent Koscielny has been known to put overcome every hurdle in the past and pull out a world-class performance when his side have needed it the most. Regardless, this is sure to be one battle that will set the tone for the night.
Neymar vs Hector Bellerin
Hector Bellerin’s stock has been persistently on the rise this season with the La Masia product having a breakout season during which he has cemented his place in the Arsenal starting line-up. Bellerin offers great support in the attacking third but is defensively quite sound.
This has seen him become one of the best young right backs in Europe. The Barcelona forward line gave Hector a really tough time in the first leg with Neymar often pegging him back and this is the game where Hector might be looking to pay him back.
A prospect that is easier said than done, but Hector will look to put his best foot forward against this Barcelona team against which he will definitely have a point to prove. This should be a tasty match-up on the night.
Prediction
Arsenal has been known to trouble the best teams on European away nights and will look to pull off a miraculous recovery from a 2-0 deficit from the Emirates. Unless one is a true football romantic, the practical prediction is one that favors Barcelona once again. With the sort of form Barcelona is in at the Camp Nou, it is hard to see them draw let alone lose this game.
Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal
