FC Basel vs Arsenal: Arsene Wenger convinced his side could overcome any last 16 opponent... even Barcelona
Arsene Wenger has insisted Arsenal are ready for whatever the Champions League round of 16 draw may throw at them, even their perennial foes Barcelona.
Arsenal are highly likely to finish their group stage campaign in second place for the fifth season in succession and require Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad to take points from group leaders from Paris St Germain if they are to have any hope of topping Group A.
The Gunners, who have exited the Champions League in the first knockout round for the last six seasons, could be drawn against any group stage winners bar Leicester City and Paris St Germain on Monday.
That includes Barcelona, at whose hands Wenger has seen his dreams of a Champions League winners medal ended on four occasions in the last 11 years, most notably in the 2006 final. Luis Enrique’s side have cruised through their European group but their form in La Liga, where they trail Real Madrid by six points, has been less consistent.
It is enough to convince Wenger that his side could overcome Barcelona if a tie were played soon, though he acknowledges that much will have changed by the time the knockout stages begin in 2017.
“We don’t really know,” Wenger told BT Sport when asked whether he would prefer to finish second or first in Group A. “If you have a bad draw when you finish second you think, well done for us. If you have a bad draw when you finish first you think, bad luck.
“It depends what kind of Barcelona. At the moment they don’t look to be unbeatable; Manchester City have beaten them already. But as I said before it starts in March again, all the teams are sometimes in completely different shape in three months.”
Though Barcelona would offer formidable opposition for any runner-up there are plenty of potential worries for those sides that top the group, with Bayern Munich, one of Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund and potentially Europa League champions Sevilla lying in wait.
Wenger saw his side cede advantage in Group A to PSG when they were held to a 2-2 draw at the Emirates last month but still retains a hope that Ludogrets can do Arsenal a favour in Paris tonight.
“You feel always you have done the job well when you finish first. We’ll try to fight until the end to have the chance to win it.”
ArticleWenger convinced Arsenal could overcome Barcelona in last 16ArsenalArsene WengerChampions LeagueFc BarcelonaArsenal's recent last-16 Champions League exits
Arsenal's recent last-16 Champions League exits
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1/6 2010/11 vs Barcelona
Arsenal staged a late fightback to carry a slender advantage to the Nou Camp on one of the most memorable nights at Emirates Stadium. David Villa opened the scoring before goals from Robin van Persie and Andrei Arshavin, but the former was dismissed in the reverse fixture as Barca advanced 4-3 on aggregate with a 3-1 home victory
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2/6 2011/12 vs AC Milan
Arsenal's hopes hung by a thread after AC Milan thrashed them 4-0 in the first leg at the San Siro. A double from Robinho followed Kevin-Prince Boateng's opener before Zlatan Ibrahimovic completed the rout. Laurent Koscielny, Tomas Rosicky and Robin van Persie scored in the first half of the second leg at Emirates Stadium, but the Gunners could not find a fourth in the second period to force extra time
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3/6 2012/13 vs Bayern Munich
Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny scored in a 2-0 second-leg victory at the Allianz Arena as Arsenal narrowly missed out on stunning the Champions League runners-up. With the scores level on aggregate after both legs, Bayern advanced on away goals thanks to efforts from Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller and Mario Mandzukic in north London.
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4/6 2013/14 vs Bayern Munich
Wojciech Szczęsny was sent off and Mesut Ozil missed from the penalty spot as Arsenal lost 2-0 at home to Bayern Munich. Lukas Podolski cancelled out Bastian Schweinsteiger's goal at the Allianz Arena, but the Gunners crashed out to the German giants at the same stage for the second successive season
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5/6 2014/15 vs Monaco
Arsenal left themselves with a mountain to climb after losing the 3-1 at home to Arsene Wenger's former side. Goals from Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey at the Stade Louis II levelled the tie, but the Ligue 1 club advanced on away goals.
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6/6 2015/16 vs Barcelona
Lionel Messi scored twice as the Gunners were beaten 2-0 at home and the Argentine added to strikes from Neymar and Luis Suárez in the reverse leg at the Nou Camp to seal a 5-1 aggregate win. Mohamed Elneny grabbed Arsenal's only goal of the tie.
Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images