When the draw for the Round of 16 was held a couple of months back, Barcelona were the last team Arsenal would have wanted to draw. The Gunners finished second in their Champions League group behind Bayern and had to meet a non-English group winner in the Round of 16. Atletico Madrid, Wolfsburg and Zenit were all preferable choices for Arsenal fans, but the footballing gods instead rewarded (or punished, as Arsenal fans would say!) them with a tie against defending champions Barcelona.

The Catalan giants are on a 32 game unbeaten streak ( yes THIRTY TWO), and have managed to open an eight point lead at the top of La Liga. In these 32 games, Barca have scored 104 times (nearly 3.25 a game), and have conceded only nineteen goals (just 0.6 per game)

Their striking triumvirate of Messi, Suarez and Neymar are racking up goals for fun, and it will be a massive test for Arsenal’s back four of Monreal, Koscielny, Mertesacker and Monreal. Continue reading →