Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has stated that his side have gained maturity since the last time they faced Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.
In the 2010/11 season, the Gunners were drawn against the current La Liga champions in the round of 16; beating them 2-1 at the Emirates before going out thanks to a 3-1 loss at the Camp Nou. However, Wenger won’t be dwelling on the events of four years ago too much.
We are more mature.
We played against Barcelona with top teams, but very inexperienced and very young. Barcelona were in full power but we still managed to beat them and it was always very tight.
Wenger does take positives from previous games against the Catalan giants, however.
We have never been beaten [comprehensively] and we were sometimes unlucky as well. That is in our minds. That is deep in my body as well. I do not forget that. We have a chance, an opportunity to put things right, and we’ll focus on that.
Barcelona, who lead with the three-pronged attack of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, are unbeaten in their last fifteen games in all competitions – scoring 45 goals in that time, an average of three goals per game. Wenger remains unfazed by the records.
We are playing against a team that have the trophy and are the best team in Europe and I think we have a good chance to go through. It is a difficult challenge but an exciting one as well.
The first-leg of this season’s encounter will be at the Emirates on the 23rd February 2016 – with the return leg taking place on the 16th March.
