Last 16, second leg, kick-off: 19:45 (BST)
Barcelona (1) v Arsenal (2)
Josep Guardiola has promised Barcelona “will attack” as they bid to overcome a 2-1 deficit against Arsenal.
Guardiola promised absolute commitment from his side in the return fixture.
“[Nicklas] Bendtner is a quality player, so is [Marouane] Chamakh, and [Robin] van Persie is also a great player,” he said. “They are all good. It’ll be a match with very little space in the middle and a bit more down the wings; we will have to attack carefully because Arsenal can strike on the counter.
Twelve months ago, Arsenal travelled to Camp Nou following a 2-2 draw at the Emirates, only to be brushed aside by a Lionel Messi-inspired Barca side, but Guardiola dismissed suggestions that tonight’s opponents were a fragile outfit.
“Arsenal aren’t a mentally fragile side,” he said. “They are competing at the top of the table for their league title and every season they do well in the Champions League. The fact that they are at the top every season means they are a good team.
“When they win a first major trophy they will realise they are strong enough to win more. We will attack – you can rest assured that we will try to win and do all we can. Our target is what we have to do to beat them, that’s the only important thing in this kind of match.
With Gerard Piqué suspended and Carles Puyol injured, Barcelona will be fielding an unfamiliar central defensive pairing, and although Guardiola refused to divulge the identity of the new pairing, the likelihood is that Sergio Busquets and Eric Abidal will fill the void.
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger raised eyebrows with his squad selection, including Robin van Persie, despite reports last week that the Dutch striker was still several weeks away from full fitness.
Van Persie hurt his knee in the League Cup final defeat to Birmingham.
“I would like Van Persie to play but he has to be 100 percent. I will consider 99.5 percent,” Wenger said.
“For us it is the next game, and we have had a very strong run and we have done very well. It’s our next game and we want to stay in the competition. If you ask any player, he will give his life to win this match.
“Both sides have similar philosophies and both want to win trying to play good football. For us one of the problems is to get away from Barcelona’s pressure and we shall see how we can do that.”
The main doubt for Wenger remains skipper Cesc Fabregas, who has been struggling with a hamstring injury. The Gunners rated his chances of playing at 90 per cent.
Fabregas left Barcelona as a teenager to join for Arsenal before he got the chance to play at the home of his former club.
“I’ve never played in the Nou Camp before and this will be one of the most exciting nights of my career,” said Fabregas.
Alex Song and Theo Walcott are definitely out, with Wenger saying: “Walcott is at home and will watch it on TV, and hopefully he will watch us win.”
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