Arsenal have made it into the quarter-finals of the Champions League, as have Barcelona.
The Gunners take on Sporting CP next in the competition, while the Catalans face Atletico Madrid to book a place in the next round.
If both teams win their games, Arsenal will face Barcelona in the semi-finals, which would be a mouthwatering contest.
Micah Richards has now made a prediction that Arsenal fans will love.
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Micah Richards thinks Arsenal will batter Barcelona in the Champions League
Both Arsenal and Barcelona have incredible squads.
Mikel Arteta and Hansi Flick are both elite managers, and on their day, their sides can beat anyone on the planet without breaking a sweat.
That is why a game between Arsenal and Barcelona would be really exciting to watch. But if Flick doesn’t change his tactics, Richards thinks there will only be one winner.
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, the pundit said: “Arsenal will beat Barcelona.
“If Barcelona play that high line that we’ve talked about, then Arsenal will absolutely batter them. If they take it back five yards, Barcelona could absolutely batter Arsenal.”
Gary Lineker then questioned if the Gunners had the players to hurt Barcelona’s high line.
Richards replied: “(Gabriel) Martinelli. 100%. Martinelli would absolutely love to play against that, without doubt.
“Even (Viktor) Gyokeres. Gyokeres is not the quickest, but he’s a strong runner. If you watch all his goals before at Sporting, that’s what he used to do.
“So, I think if they play a high line against Arsenal, Arsenal will absolutely batter them.”
Former Barcelona star Lineker and Alan Shearer both then claimed that Barcelona will not change their style, which makes it a great game for Arsenal.
Be honest: How many goals do you think Arsenal will score against Barcelona in the Champions League?
Can Arsenal cope with Barcelona’s outstanding attack?
Attacking Barcelona’s high line would be only half the job. Arsenal will have to defend their attacks as well if they face them in the semi-finals.
The likes of Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal are capable of destroying defences on their day – just look at what they did to Newcastle United in the second leg of the round of 16.
That is definitely a concern, but Arsenal have the best defence in Europe.
The Gunners have only conceded five goals in the Champions League this season. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are capable of containing any attack, while Piero Hincapie and Jurrien Timber are incredibly solid out wide as well.
For those reasons, Richards is spot on – Arsenal could batter Barcelona if they play their high line.
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