Share

Koscielny set for Gunners return

Cape Town - Arsenal face an uphill battle as they seek to overturn a two-goal deficit against Barcelona in the Champions League Last-16 second leg on Wednesday.

The Gunners impressively held firm against a clearly stronger Barca outfit in the first leg at the Emirates last month, but two mistakes in the final 20 minutes of the match allowed Lionel Messi to grab a brace to put the Spanish champions in a comfortable position ahead of the return leg.

The two-goal cushion is especially significant because the Catalans scored them away from home, meaning Arsenal have will have to grab at least three unanswered goals to win the tie outright.

The good news for the English side is if they do somehow manage to score three times at the Nou Camp, a feat last achieved in a competitive match by Valencia in February 2014, Barcelona will need to score twice themselves to secure the win.

Arsenal's confidence will not be high going into the match, having won only one of their last seven matches in all competitions and off the back of getting knocked out of the FA Cup by Watford over the weekend, while Barcelona have won their last eight fixtures in a row and last tasted defeat in October 2015.

To make matters worse for the Gunners, they will be without Petr Cech (calf), Alex Oxlade Chamberlain (knee), Jack Wilshere (shin), Aaron Ramsey (thigh) and Santi Carzola (Achilles), who are all only expected back next month, but Laurent Koscielny could return to the starting line-up after his recovery from a calf problem.

Barcelona will be without Gerard Pique, who picked up a one-match suspension in the first leg, but otherwise have a full squad to choose from.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
64% - 474 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
36% - 263 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE