Arsenal will have the freedom to potentially cause an upset against Barcelona on Wednesday, according to Laurent Koscielny.
As has so often been the case in recent years Arsenal head into the second leg of their last 16 Champions League tie requiring a spectacular about-turn in their fortunes to make it into the quarter finals. They trail Barcelona 2-0 after late goals from Lionel Messi undid 70 minutes of solid defensive work from Arsene Wenger’s side at the Emirates last month.
Against AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Monaco Arsenal have performed courageously in the second leg of contests, threatening to cause an unlikely upset, falling short but taking momentum into the remainder of their domestic campaign.
Koscielny is hoping for the same outcome again on Wednesday, insisting that Arsenal have nothing to lose as they take on the reigning European champions.
“We don’t have pressure like in the first game, because we play against the best team in the world,” he told the club website.
“Now we need to play the second leg away at Barca and we have nothing to lose. People always talk about the statistics and I think we have maybe a five per cent chance to qualify.
“You know when you play against the best players in the world, the best team with a good collective side, it’s very important for us. It can be very important if we can have a [good] result.
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“We need to play with freedom and believe in our quality because we did well during the first six months of this season. I don’t see why we can’t [play like that] against Barcelona and for the rest of the season.
“You know we are in a difficult period and we need to stay like a unit to be stronger. We will fight until the end of the season.”
Arsenal have not defeated a La Liga side away from home in ten years, since Thierry Henry’s goal secured a famous win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Koscielny is expected to shake off the calf injury that has kept him out of the last four games.
