Puyol primed for Henry challenge

Carles Puyol is not just responsible for marshalling FC Barcelona's defence when the Catalan giants take on Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, he also has the job of ensuring that every player is prepared and knows their role as he carries out his duties as club captain.

Iconic figure
The 28-year-old central defender has been at Camp Nou since 1994 and understands what the current team's achievements mean to the club and its supporters. Having made his name in the first team as a right-back, Puyol has become an icon in the middle of the back four with his no-nonsense tackling, his reading of the game and his evident determination. "You always hope to play in a game like this one day when you come to a club like Barcelona, who play in the UEFA Champions League almost every season," he said.

Henry danger
Surrounded by some of the world's most technically gifted attacking players, the skipper's contributions to the recent success of Frank Rijkaard's team has often gone unnoticed, but he has been assigned arguably the toughest job of any of the Barcelona squad; stopping Thierry Henry. While he and his team-mates have indicated their respect for the Arsenal team as a whole, Puyol knows the media and fans will all be watching him closely in the knowledge that Henry could produce something at any moment to shatter Blaugrana hopes in Paris.

Shared responsibility
The Spanish international is keen to relieve the pressure on himself and points to the fact that Arsené Wenger's side contains several stars capable of causing problems. "You cannot focus just on one player because there are many great players who will be dangerous," Puyol said. "Arsenal are a strong team defensively, in that all their players work very hard and they break forward very quickly."

Special occasion
Arsenal's confidence comes as no surprise to Puyol, who believes that the occasion itself has boosted the determination among both teams. "It is logical that they should predict that they will win," he said. "It would be very strange if someone came out and said that are going to lose. When you go to play a game like this, you are always confident that you are going to win and then whatever happens is another story.

'Great quality'
"We know that we are capable of winning every title that we go for," he added. "The challenge is to work hard and not become complacent, because that would be our undoing. As usual, we intend to keep possession and work as a team. They are strong at the back because they keep their lines very tight, but when they have the ball they move it with great quality."

'Even bigger'
As a veteran of the six barren years that Barça endured when they failed to win any silverware before last season's title, Puyol appreciates the good times as much as the club's followers as he has always been a supporter and remains one today. He was delighted to be a witness as 1.2m fans took to the streets of 'La Ciutat Contal' to mark the club's second successive Primera División crown, but a bigger party may yet be round the corner. "If we win in Paris, then I think the celebrations will be even bigger than the other day," he said.