Barcelona vs. Arsenal: Josep Guardiola says Barca could win Champions League if they beat Gunners
Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola has insisted that his side just needs to see off Arsenal and they would be in contention for the UEFA Champions League title for the 2010-11 season.
The manager made these remarks ahead of their second leg of the Champions League round of 16 clash against Arsenal at Camp Nou on Tuesday. The first leg at the Emirates ended 2-1 in favour of the Gunners and the Catalan side look set to give Arsenal a taste of their own medicine.
The 40-year-old warned his team of the Gunners’ attacking style of play especially after it was revealed that the in-form striker, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Robin-van-Persie-c31380 has been included in Arsenal’s squad for the second leg.
“It's a very important game as it means being in or out. Arsenal are a very good team and have many alternatives. They counter attack, so we need to be careful and attack them with order,” Guardiola stated.
The manager made it very clear that he just wants his team to do well against the Gunners and has demanded his players to apply themselves in a much better and orderly manner as compared to the first leg.
Guardiola refused to make Carlos Puyol’s injury or Gerard Pique’s suspension as an excuse if Barcelona are to crash out of the competition. Instead, the 40-year-old praised the efforts of Puyol and said that the Spaniard tried his level best to make himself available for the crucial game but he could not make it. He stressed that it does not mean that they cannot perform without the defender.
“If we go through then we will go really far in Europe, I am convinced that if we beat http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gerard-c14664 Pique's suspension,” Guardiola said.
In spite of the 2-1 advantage to the Gunners, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 are still tipped to be favourites for the Tuesday night clash following a consistent run of form in the La Liga in the current season as compared to Arsenal’s turbulent run in the English Premier League.
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