Losing a two goal lead for a second time will be unacceptable for the Spanish giants in the Barcelona vs Arsenal live stream commentary thus defending properly will be a priority. While defending has never been their forte, the Spanish champions are better than that. Manager Pep Guardiola might have preferred to focus on his team’s brilliant first half display. Yet there remains concern over the way his side could not maintain their focus from start till end. The demand for total concentration will be required considering the absence of Carlos Puyol and Pique who have accumulated too many cards to play in the return game at home. A few more mistakes could let Arsenal back into the tie even though they have largely played second fiddle to Barcelona.
Arsenal are counting their blessings that they are still on par even though they were hardly in the game during the match at North London. The crowd received a masterclass in how football should be played by talented individuals and so did the Gunners had to sit through it. Rarely have the Premier League club been in such a situation as they are usually the ones playing the great football against other teams. They would not want to remember the experience for long. It was difficult for the Arsenal players to get hold of the ball as Barcelona kept constant possession. The Gunners were also outshot decisively but the end result matters the most. And with the score pegged level, they are not out of it yet.
Both clubs are struggling with massive injury problems. Barcelona will miss their central defensive pairing as they will not be allowed to play due to multiple infringements. There have also been fresh injury doubts over striker Ibrahimovic who scored both their goals in North London. A calf injury appears to have struck him down. Arsenal are in a real muddle with most of their first team players out through fitness woes. Central to their hopes is skipper Fabregas but the Spaniard is out for the rest of the season. They have not had any respite in other areas. Their best strikers in Robin Van Persie and Andrei Arshavin are not available for the club’s most important match at this point. The defence will also be weakened with William Gallas unavailable due to a recurrence of his calf injury. Will fans still get to enjoy a football display of the highest order despite both clubs grappling with injuries and player shortages?