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Barça want triumph, not tributes

Josep Guardiola hopes FC Barcelona will be praised for ousting Arsenal FC rather than for the quality of their football, while Arsène Wenger urged his players to "make history".

Barça want triumph, not tributes
Barça want triumph, not tributes ©UEFA.com

FC Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola wants his side to be remembered for finishing the job against UEFA Champions quarter-final rivals Arsenal FC, and not just for their sparkling football in the 2-2 first-leg draw. He expects the Camp Nou encounter to be "like a final", while Arsène Wenger urged the Gunners to "make history".

Josep Guardiola, Barcelona coach
We have to play to win the match and we know how difficult that will be. We're in the quarter-finals against a team that reached the semi-finals last season, with good players – players who can play in different positions, who are very fast and only a few points behind Chelsea in the Premier League. Walcott concerns me because of his speed. He played very well against us and also this weekend.

I hope the stadium will be full because it's the most important match of the season. I think it'll be an attractive match for everyone, either at the stadium or watching at home. We will try to keep the ball and play simple football. I don't know who has the upper hand after the first leg. It's going to be like a final and we will see. We need to reach the semi-finals, otherwise people will just remember, yes, Barcelona played a good first half in London.

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager
When you don't have the ball, you can't play, especially against Barcelona. We have to make the pitch smaller. Of course, half of the battle will be in the midfield; we will especially have to watch out for Xavi. I think the first leg was exciting and the second leg promises to be more so. Personally I would like goals as soon as possible and to take advantage of Barcelona's weaknesses and I have a team that never gives up and has exceptional mental strength.

Barcelona could be disappointed about us coming back in the first leg, but for us the key is to start strongly tomorrow. I think we have won everywhere in Europe except here. Life is about grabbing opportunities and we can make history tomorrow if we can do that. I know we will fight for it and I have always defended the team through tough parts of the season. I don't think about Henry scoring the winning goal against his former club. Henry can also score own goals if he wants. He's not the only player who can score, but we have to concentrate on ourselves.

Team news
Barcelona
Out:
Zlatan Ibrahimović (calf)
Doubtful: Jeffrén (calf), Yaya Touré (bruised ankle), Andrés Iniesta (thigh)
Suspended: Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué
Misses next match if booked:
none

• Guardiola has included Iniesta in his squad, with the midfielder looking to make his first appearance since he picked up a thigh injury on 27 March. "He still hasn't trained with the squad, so we will see how he feels and what he thinks about playing," said the coach.

• Ibrahimović suffered a tear in his right calf during the warm-up to Saturday's Liga 4-1 win against Athletic Club, with his replacement Bojan Krkić scoring twice.

• Guardiola backed Thierry Henry to shine if selected, though underlined that "he's been having problems with his calf muscle for a while now".

Arsenal
Out:
Aaron Ramsey (broken leg), Robin van Persie (ankle ligaments), Kieran Gibbs (broken metatarsal), Johan Djourou (knee), Cesc Fàbregas (leg), William Gallas (calf), Andrey Arshavin (calf), Alex Song (right knee)
Doubtful: Sol Campbell (hamstring)
Suspended: Cesc Fàbregas
Misses next match if booked:
Gaël Clichy, Robin van Persie, Abou Diaby

• Defensive midfielder Song was ruled out after scans on Sunday revealed inflamed knee cartilage. "It was a bad surprise," said Wenger.

• The Frenchman also expressed doubt as to the availability of centre-back Campbell. "We don't know if he's available yet with a hamstring problem," he said, meaning Mikaël Silvestre may start.

Weekend results
03/04/10 Barcelona 4-1 Athletic Club
(Jeffrén 27, Bojan 40 59, Messi 67; Susaeta 77)

• Bojan took his chance to shine after Jeffrén had scored his first senior goal, while Lionel Messi also found the back of the net for the first time in four outings.

03/04/10 Arsenal 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
(Bendtner 90+4)

• Nicklas Bendtner's header broke the resistance of Wolves, who had been reduced to ten men since the 66th minute, and kept Arsenal within three points of league leaders Chelsea FC.

Background
• Arsenal have gone through in all but one of their six past two-legged meetings with Spanish sides.

• Barcelona have drawn four and lost one of their last five games against Premier League visitors.

• The Azulgrana are looking for their 11th semi-final appearance in the European Champion Clubs' Cup, while Arsenal are targeting their third.

Team Ties
• Guardiola captained Barcelona against Arsenal in the 1999/2000 group stage, drawing 1-1 at home and winning 4-2 at Wembley, with Henry a second-half substitute for the Gunners in both legs. Puyol was on the bench at Wembley.

• Henry remains Arsenal's record league scorer with 174 goals in 254 appearances and 226 in 369 matches overall from 1999 to 2007.

Did you know?
• Even before their 1999 encounters, Guardiola played against a Wenger-coached AS Monaco FC side in the 1993/94 group stage. Guardiola's side won 2-0 at home and 1-0 away, but both teams went through only to lose to AC Milan – Monaco in the semis and Barcelona in the final.

Read more on the match in the official UEFA Champions League press kit.

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