It's very nearly time to see just what this Arsenal team is made of. After a stirring comeback to beat Barcelona in the first leg of this Champions League Round of 16 clash, the Gunners then lost the Carling Cup final to Birmingham and then dropped two points in the league thanks to a 0-0 how draw against Sunderland, failing to take advantage of Manchester United's slip at the top of the table. Now they face the most daunting task imaginable - taking on arguably the best team in Europe, at the Nou Camp.
FC Barcelona Vs. Arsenal FC, 2011: Arsenal Lineup
Holding onto their 2-1 lead would be foolish. Far stronger defensive sides than Arsenal have been dismantled by the Catalans on their home turf. Instead, they need to play just like they did at the Emirates - they must go toe to go with the masters of tiki-taka football and take their chances when they come. And they will come, too - Barcelona may be devastating on the ball, but they've got their share of weaknesses, and the return to fitness of Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie will help the Gunners exploit that.
They'll miss the blistering pace of Theo Walcott and the defensive presence of Alex Song, but there's no reason Arsenal can't make a good fight of this. They'll concede goals, but they've got a very good chance of scoring them as well. Don't rule them out just yet.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Clichy, Koscielny, Djourou, Sagna; Diaby, Wilshere; Rosicky, Fabregas, Nasri; Van Persie
Subs: Almunia, Denilson, Squillaci, Arshavin, Eboue, Chamakh, Bendtner.
For more on Arsenal during the match, check out SB Nation’s The Short Fuse.
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