Arsenal v Barcelona
UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal 1st Leg
Emirates Stadium – London, England
31 March 2010 – 19:45 GMT
One of the most anticipated match-ups in the Champions League kicks off as Arsenal hosts defending champions Barcelona in the first leg.
Arsenal v Barcelona Preview
The Gunners are coming off a disappointing 1-1 draw at Birmingham City and will need to play much better against Barcelona on Wednesday. Barcelona have won their last four La Liga matches and appear to be peaking at the right time.
Both teams play very attacking and open styles that tend to lead towards high scoring matches. Barcelona control possession in almost all of their matches and wear teams down with their precision passing and world class talent. Arsenal do not play defensive and have a talented roster that can play with any team on any given day.
Cesc Fabregas is a doubt for Arsenal because of injury. If he’s available on Wednesday, it could be the difference between a loss and a victory. Even without Fabregas, Arsenal will have the talented trio of Samuel Nasri, Andrey Arshavin, and Nicklas Bendtner available for the match.
Bendtner had been heavily criticized for inability to convert chances but he’s starting to improve and did score a hat trick in the second leg against FC Porto. Perhaps the best player for Arsenal this season could be Arshavin, who hasn’t scored a lot of goals, but is able to create chances and open space up for teammates.
Barcelona remain one of the, if not the main, favorite to win lift the tournament in late May. Messi has four goals in the Champions League this season and 32 in all competitions. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been a disappointment in his first season but has scored in his last three matches. Two players who sometimes goes under the radar for Barcelona are Andres Iniesta and Xavi, who don’t score a lot of goals but are key players for the club.
This should be one of the most entertaining matches in the Champions League this year. Both teams play an “attractive” style that could lead to many goals at the Emirates. Even if Arsenal get a lead, they are not the club that will shift to a defensive formation to try and hold off the Barcelona attack. Ultimately, the match will likely end in a draw and with Barcelona will have the advantage with several away goals scored.
Arsenal v Barcelona Prediction
The match will end in a 3-3 draw.
Watch Arsenal v Barcelona Live Online
You can watch Arsenal v Barcelona live online as well as all other Champions League games. Read our live Champions League football page for more details.
“Arsenal v Barcelona – Preview – 31 March 2010” was originally published at Soccerlens.com – Football News.
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