Arsene Wenger is set to name his strongest possible line-up against Barcelona tomorrow night with Danny Welbeck favourite to lead Arsenal’s attack in the Camp Nou.
The Gunners are 2-0 down from the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie and face the daunting task of overturning that deficit against a Barca side on a run of nine straight victories in the competition.
Arsenal fell 11 points behind Premier League leaders Leicester after the Foxes’ 1-0 win over Newcastle last night and with a Saturday lunchtime trip at Everton to come, Wenger could be forgiven for having one eye on that fixture as they look to stay alive in the title race.
But Wenger is refusing to admit the Barcelona tie is a lost cause and is planning to start Welbeck here along with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.
Laurent Koscielny could also return after missing the last four matches with a calf problem.
The French centre-back has returned to full training and was expected to take part in this morning’s session at London Colney before flying to Spain with the rest of the squad.
What Arsenal must do in Barcelona
Hector Bellerin is also likely to be drafted in after being rested for Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Watford while Theo Walcott is challenging Joel Campbell for a starting berth on the right wing.
