Preview: Arsenal v. Barcelona, Champions League Round of 16, First Leg

Have you heard that Cesc Fabregas used to play for Barcelona in his youth days?
Because this is the first that I'm hearing about that.
Pic via Daily Mail.

Emirates Stadium, London

Wednesday, February 16

7:45 p.m. GMT, 2:45 p.m. EST

• Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy)
• History: 0 Arsenal wins, 3 Barcelona wins, 2 draws
• Arsenal's League Form: D-W-W-W-D-W
• Barcelona's League Form: W-W-W-W-W-D

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Szczesny

Eboue - Koscielny - Djourou - Clichy

Song - Wilshere

Walcott - Fabregas - Nasri

van Persie

Subs from: Almunia, Gibbs, Squillaci, Rosicky, Arshavin, Bendtner, Chamakh
Suspended: Sagna (one match, professional foul)

Out: Diaby (calf), Fabianski (shoulder), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Samir Nasri surprisingly returns to the squad, having returned to training after the hamstring injury he suffered January 30 in the FA Cup. He should only start he's 100%. I would hope.
• Abou Diaby, however, picked up a calf strain on international duty. Nobody noticed, I guess, since he's suspended domestically.
• Speaking of suspensions, remember Bacary Sagna's red card against Partizan? Because I forgot about it too. He's unavailable and Emmanuel Eboue will deputize.
• Tomas Rosicky returns to the side as well, though I also, in this case, don't remember him getting hurt.
• Arsenal are unbeaten in eight across all competitions and have lost once in their last 14.
• The Gunners have not lost at home since November, going unbeaten in 11 at the Emirates.

Barcelona News and Notes

• Caveman impersonator Carles Puyol will miss the tie with a knee injury, forcing left back Eric Abidal to play in the center and forcing Maxwell (who was terrorized by Theo Walcott last year) to start on the left.
• As far as I can tell, Puyol is the only major injury in their side.
• Sporting Gijon's 1-1 draw with the Catalans at the weekend marked Barcelona's first league loss in 16 matches.

Match Facts

• This is the sixth all-time meeting between Arsenal and Barcelona. Arsenal have never won.
• No foreign club has ever won a Champions League tie at the Emirates, in 27 matches.
• Last year, Arsenal came from 2-0 down to draw level with Barcelona in the first leg of the quarter-finals. Nicklas Bendtner put Arsenal ahead on aggregate in the second leg before Lionel Messi scored four to knock the Gunners out.
• The two sides met in the 2006 final. Sol Campbell put ten man Arsenal ahead 1-0, but Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti scored in the last fifteen minutes to win the title for the Catalan side.
• In 1999/2000, the two sides played twice in group play. Arsenal salvaged a draw at the Nou Camp, but then lost 4-2 in their home match, which was played at Wembley.

The Referee

• The referee is Serie A's Nicola Rizzoli. This is his first Arsenal match.
• Rizzoli took charge of last year's Europa League final, when Atletico Madrid beat Fulham in extra time.
• His last match on English soil saw him send off Manchester United's Rafael for two yellow cards in last year's quarter-finals, as Bayern Munich advanced on away goals.
• Rizzoli took charge of Barcelona's 5-1 win over Panathinaikos in the group stage earlier this year.

Other Round of 16 Ties

• Tuesday: AC Milan 0 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur
• Tuesday: Valencia 1 - 1 Schalke 04
• Wednesday: AS Roma v. Shakhtar Donetsk; Stadio Olimpico, Rome
• Next Tuesday: Copenhagen v. Chelsea; Parken Stadium, Copenhagen
• Next Tuesday: Lyon v. Real Madrid; Stade de Gerland, Lyone
• Next Wednesday: Inter Milan v. Bayern Munich; San Siro, Milan
• Next Wednesday: Marseille v. Manchester United; Stade Velodrome, Marseille