Tuesday 15 December 2015 00:03, UK
We take a look at Arsenal's Champions League prospects after they are drawn against old foes Barcelona in the last 16...
Arsene Wenger described Arsenal's last-ditch qualification from Group F as their "greatest escape" but the 3-0 win over Olympiakos looks like a walk in the park compared to what's coming next. For the fourth time in 10 years, the Gunners will face Barcelona in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Put simply, it couldn't be any tougher. Luis Enrique's side won the treble last year and in Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez they possess a front three which comprises two-thirds of the Ballon d'Or shortlist. The season is barely four months old and the trio have already registered 46 goals between them.
So how do you stop them? That's the question Wenger will be turning over in his head as Arsenal bid to avoid a sixth consecutive last-16 exit. Finding a way past Barcelona would represent one of their greatest achievements under the Frenchman, but he is all too aware of just how difficult it will be.
Arsenal's recent rivalry with Barcelona dates back to the 2006 Champions League final, when Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti overturned Sol Campbell's opening goal to win 2-1 in Paris. Andres Iniesta and Mathieu Flamini are the only players remaining from that day, but for Wenger it still ranks as one of his most painful defeats.
Barcelona reasserted their superiority by knocking Arsenal out of the competition at the quarter-final stage in 2010, as a four-goal Messi masterclass at the Nou Camp emphatically ended the Gunners' hopes of progressing.
A year later, the two sides were drawn together in the last 16. Arsenal gave themselves a real chance with a 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium - their only victory over Barcelona - but they were beaten 3-1 in the second leg as the Catalans went on to lift the trophy.
This year, the opposition are not the only familiarity for Arsenal, whose second-placed group stage finish left them vulnerable to a nightmarish draw for the fourth year in a row. They were paired with the mighty Bayern Munich at the same juncture in 2012/13 and 2013/14, and it has come at a heavy cost again.
The presence of Pep Guardiola's side in Group F meant qualifying in first place was always a tough ask this year, but might it have been a different story had they not opened their campaign with two defeats? "We have said it so many times about Arsenal, you have to win the group," said Tony Cottee in the Sky Sports News HQ studio. "They didn't do that and they are now paying the price. It is a horrible draw for Arsenal."
But while Arsenal's group campaign was dogged by complacency, they can certainly take encouragement from their 2-0 win over Bayern at the Emirates in October. The visitors, playing in the image of former Barcelona manager Guardiola, had over 70 per cent of the possession that night, but the Gunners held firm before striking twice in the last 15 minutes.
Their hopes of repeating that feat against Barcelona could be boosted by a number of players returning from injury. The likes of Jack Wilshere, Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck should be fit again by the time the first leg arrives on February 23, while there may even be hope for Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla.
And who better to stop Messi than Petr Cech? The little Argentine has smashed six goals in four appearances against Arsenal, but he failed to find the net in six games against Cech during his time at Chelsea - a record few goalkeepers can rival.
Arsenal will also take heart from some of Barcelona's less impressive results this season. Athletic Bilbao, Celta Vigo and Sevilla have all managed to beat them so far, and they have suffered from complacency more recently, too, with Valencia and Deportivo coming from behind to draw in their last two league games.
Arsenal face a mountainous task against Barcelona but it is not impossible, and if Wenger's side really are serious about winning major honours this season, they now have a perfect opportunity to show it.
