Edu365.cat

The Champions League is already at the quarter-final stage and fate has seen FC Barcelona drawn against the London team, Arsenal, an old acquaintance with which the club has many things in common, led by the Catalan midfielder Cesc Fàbregas.

The teams' reputations and the fact that they are a joy to watch mean that Arsenal-Barça is undoubtedly the most interesting of the quarter-final matches.

Added to this are a couple of sentimental factors. Number one is Thierry Henry, a key player in Arsenal's history, who now wears a Barça jersey. Number two is Cesc, the Arsenal captain who learned his football with FC Barcelona and who may return to the Catalan club at the end of the season (a possibility the media have been discussing for some time).

Then there is the fact that Barça and Arsenal have not met since the 2006 Champions League final, which Barça won 2-1 in the dying minutes of the match.

Like the 2006 match, this Barça-Arsenal encounter is set to be a fiercely fought contest. The Catalan side will have the advantage of playing the second leg at the Camp Nou on 6 April, after having done everything they can to get a good result on 30 March at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, which was inaugurated in 2006 and has a capacity of 60,000.