UEFA Champions League****Venue: Camp Nou Date: Tuesday, 6 April Kick-off: 1945 BSTCoverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 live and Live on Sky Sports
**Manager Arsene Wenger has reminded Barcelona of Arsenal’s impressive away record in the Champions League ahead of their quarter-final in the Nou Camp.**The Gunners have won at AC Milan and Real Madrid and beat Inter Milan 5-1 in the San Siro stadium under Wenger.
“We’ve won away everywhere in Europe,” he said, speaking of the task his side faces after the 2-2 first-leg draw.
“Barcelona is a place where we haven’t done it, so there is no better opportunity than Tuesday,” he added.
However, those first-leg goals for Barcelona ensure the holders are favourites to progress to a semi-final against either Inter Milan or CSKA Moscow.
The team that has the ball more is going to win
Arsenal are also missing a host of players, with Alex Song ruled out with knee and groin problems, while Andrey Arshavin and William Gallas are also out through injury.
Former Barcelona youth player now Gunners skipper Cesc Fabregas, who broke his leg in last week’s first leg, would have missed the Nou Camp encounter anyway because of suspension.
“I’m confident despite the injuries we have that we can do it,” said Wenger. "Of course, we will need to get everybody to 100% of his potential and have a great team performance.
"This team, though, has such a great mental strength and I believe they can fight against the odds anywhere in the world.
“They can turn up with a massive performance. The problem is not one of individuals, but about having a game-plan and making it work.”
Arsenal were outclassed by Barcelona in the opening stages of the first match with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s two goals putting the Catalan side 2-0 ahead, before the Gunners fought back to draw level with a Theo Walcott goal and a Fabregas penalty.
And Wenger admitted his side could not afford such a tentative start again if they are to surprise the holders and reach the last four.
“We were a little bit victims of the reputation of Barcelona, they have done it, we have not done it and in our heads, they were very big,” said Arsenal’s French manager.
"We have learned that it is important we start with full power, without any inhibition, which we showed in the first 20 minutes at the Emirates.
“How we manage to do that will certainly have a big influence on the game and on the result.”
Barcelona are not invincible at home in Europe. Back in October, Russian side Rubin Kazan pulled off one of the great Champions League shocks when they beat Pep Guardiola’s side 2-1 at the Nou Camp.
Their home record against English sides in recent years is also patchy, having shared goalless draws with Chelsea and Manchester United and lost to Liverpool 2-1 in February 2007.
However, under Guardiola, Barcelona have outscored their opponents 13-2 at the Nou Camp in four knockout round games.
“We’re going to try to be ourselves and to get the ball and I think Arsene Wenger thinks the same,” said Guardiola. “The team that has the ball more is going to win.”
Guardiola goes into the game without central defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, who are both suspended, while Ibrahimovic is unavailable because of a calf injury, though Wenger played down the significance of that trio’s absence.
“I believe it is more important we focus on our side and how well we want to play,” said Wenger, whose side were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final in Paris.
While Wenger talked up Arsenal’s record away from Emirates Stadium in Europe, winger Walcott was keen to highlight the Gunners’ knack of scoring late goals.
“We have to try to be very disciplined, but not to hide when we have the ball,” said the Arsenal winger.
"They seemed to die off a bit in the last 20 minutes and if we can keep it 0-0, or sneak an early goal hopefully we can upset the fans, keep them all quiet.
"We have scored a lot of late goals this season, especially in the Premier League, so hopefully we can believe and can do it again."This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.