Previewing the match of the decade

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Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
31 Mar	7:45 PM	CL	Barcelona (H)	2	2	Draw

It's attention Europe now as the two heavyweights of the beautiful game prepare to go to head-to-head twice in the space of six testing days. I previously mentioned the importance of going into this one feeling fresh and motivated, as if nothing had happened at the weekend.

So far, this seems to have been the case, although the voices coming out from the camp have almost exclusively been from the manager.

Having said that, the Captain has also spoken. From reiterating his commitment to staying at the Club for the foreseeable future, to his memories playing alongside Lionel Messi at La Masia; Barcelona's famed youth academy, Cesc was up for playing against such a great team, seeing it as a presentable opportunity at asserting ourselves as one of European football's top guns.

What I found less than impressive was Wenger's pre-match conference declaration that our very own crown jewel has a sixty percent chance of missing the home tie (or forty percent chance of participating - let's look at the glass half full, shall we)?

Now, I am aware of the raucous tackle that Fabregas came up against late in the first half, a heart-in-mouth moment for all of us out there. But, having seen him come out in the second half in fairly good shape (a rare off-colour performance by the maestro, mind), I simply brushed aside le Boss' post-Birmingham comments as a sort of psychological backchat. An attempt to give us some sort of a lift if and when Cesc leads the side out on Wednesday night, if you like. Wenger had done it several times before, and I saw no reason why that should not be the case again here. However, it does seem that Cesc really is struggling for fitness, and it does not take a genius to highlight just what a massive blow this would be.

Starting at goalkeeper, Barcelona have Victor Valdes, a reliable shot stopper who had broken into the first team at a relatively young age. Despite being seen as the "weak link" in this all-conquering Barcelona side, he has a tremendous ability at reading the game, more often than not winning a one-on-one with an on-rushing striker, as Thierry Henry ironically found out to his and our dear cost in the 2006 Paris final! The one weakness I would say he has is a tendency to flap at crosses, and so Bendtner and others should be ready to make themselves a handful with plenty of crosses into the box. We have Manuel Almunia... I think we will leave it at that.

As ever, Barcelona's defence will be marshalled by the robust (and that's being kind) Carles Puyol, with Gerard Pique having also really come into his own since making the move from Old Trafford eighteen months ago. Strong, uncompromising, good in the air, and with a great knack at employing the zonal marking system, pace is one attribute not in those two's lockers, and we must exploit that on the night. At full back, Dani Alves is arguably the best attacking right back in the world, and he will keep our own left back busy (most likely Gaël Clichy, despite various speculations that I will come onto shortly). Eric Abidal has returned on the left recently, and despite facing criticism for his performances on a regular basis, had improved defensively prior to injury; suffice to say that he is (or has been so far) the first choice for France ahead of Patrice Evra and our very own Clichy.

Speaking of which, many supporters were heard calling for Emmanuel Eboué to line up on the left side of the defence on Wednesday night. The raison d'etre that Eboué is right-footed, and, with Messi's left-footedness, the Argentine wizard has a tendency to cut inside often when playing down the right hand-side, becoming an auxiliary striker in the blink of an eye. That split second in terms of positioning might, just might work to our advantage should the Ivorian start (isn't it funny, booed last year and people are now calling for Eboué to mark the world's best footballer)?! As viable an option as this is, I am reasonably sure that it will be Clichy who starts on Wednesday, with Eboué not even on the right; Sagna being preferred when a more cautious approach to a match is required.

At centre back, well, our guess is as good as anybody's really, with William Gallas potentially in for a shock return. Despite Wenger's assertions that the former captain won't be available, the manager had recently alluded to his countryman's "surprise" return to full training. My hunch (and that largely depends on whether Abu Diaby makes it, another doubt for the big game) is that it will be Thomas Vermaelen alongside Alex Song.

In midfield, both sides seem to have problems. With the brilliant Xavi Hernandez previously seemingly ruled out by the Catalans, he now seems ready to play, but with his equally imperious partner-in-crime, Andres Iniesta, ruled out of the first leg. Xavi's control of the midfield and an eye for a pass, long or short, makes him one of the best playmakers in the world today; though, you will be pleased (yet cautious) to know he has not been at the top of his game this season. Alongside him, will be Sergio Busquets, a young defensive midfielder with a knack for joining in on counter attacks, and one of Yaya Touré or Seydou Keita.

For us, it is all about whether Cesc will make it, seen by many in Spain as Xavi's natural replacement (both, for club and country, somewhat arrogantly). If I were a betting man, I would say that Cesc WILL start, simply having seen him at St. Andrew's on Saturday, and with Wenger leaving it to as late as the warm-up. Alongside him, Diaby may well be the holding player, and it is here where I would call for Nasri's inclusion in the middle of the park, similar to his role against Porto. Here, we can show Barcelona our very own midfield show of wizadry; akin to their regular Xavi-Iniesta combination.

Which leads us nicely onto the front three. Two of the three spots are occupied, for both sides, it can be argued, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi, and Andrey Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner lining up for Barcelona and ourselves respectively. Both have the combination of being a nuisance to any central defence pairing, with the magic and trickery to go with it. I don't know about you, but for me, it is best not to create an obsession of the amazing Messi, and so I will not deify him as he has been recently.

For us, and with my suggestion of Nasri playing in the midfield, Walcott or indeed Eboué can be used for their pace down that left flank occupied by the under-scrutiny Eric Abidal. For Barcelona, I have a feeling that, emotions aside, the king himself will indeed line up on the left side of Barcelona's trio, simply for his experience, with the likes of Pedro and Bojan Krkic left on the bench.

This promises to be a remarkable occasion, not least for Henry himself, and, whatever the outcome, he is sure to get a great reception for being the diamond in Arsenal's golden generation.

With that in mind, and with the applause and chants for Thierry ringing in their ears, this set of players will want to make their own memorable mark on this great club.

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