Guardiola expects fans' support to help Barca advance in Champions League
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FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said on Monday that he expected the fans in the Camp Nou stadium to push his side to victory as they look to qualify for the last 8 of the Champions League against Arsenal on Tuesday night.
Barca have to overturn a 2-1 defeat from the first leg of their last 16 tie and have central defenders Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol out through suspension and a knee injury.
It is set to be a thrilling game between two of the best attacking sides in Europe and Guardiola is hoping that the 98,000 fans who will take their seats in the Camp Nou can lend their voices to help their side make progress.
"We know that the fans are going to help is in the first and then in the second half the supporters will qualify us for the quarterfinals," said Guardiola.
Guardiola was able to give his press conference after leaving hospital, where he has spent the last five nights as the result of a distal hernia, but the coach wanted to play down his injury.
"Please don't make me out to be a hero, I am here because I feel better," he told the press. Another person, who appears to feel better is Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie, who has been included in his side's squad, despite an ankle injury that Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger had said would rule him out of the tie.
"Wenger said he was out and now he's in. The same thing happened last season with (Samir) Nasri, I hope they all play because it is good for the fans," commented Guardiola.
"I am expecting it to be a game with few spaces and we will have to attack with more order than ever, because Arsenal are a side that have the ability to play on the break," said the Barca coach, who added that he had not wanted to risk Puyol, who had a minor relapse from his knee injury on Sunday.
"He has made a huge effort, but at times you need time to recover. Not so long ago we played a Cup final and a Champions League final with key players out," said Guardiola.
"There is always tension and stress in these games, but we have to concentrate only on the game, on playing well and in what we have to do to win. We are not interested in anything else," he concluded.
Meanwhile Arsenal coach Wenger, admitted his team will need to adapt their usual passing game to make progress.
"We will have to play another way because it's one of the few games where we will spend 60 percent of the time defending. We prefer to attack that is for sure, but we can defend when we have to," said Wenger, who nonetheless believes that Arsenal will need to score at least one goal to qualify for quarterfinals.
"Of course we would take a 0-0 draw, but it is a little bit of an dream to go to Barcelona and think they will not score at all. So you have to think we want to score at least a goal," he concluded.
