Many football fans believe the Champions League 歐洲冠軍聯(lián)賽 is the most exciting competition in club football.
Arsenal's Fabregas will not appear tonight
And last week's thrilling game between Arsenal and Catalan giants (西班牙)加泰羅尼亞洲巨人（足球隊(duì)）Barcelona certainly added to that belief.
The first-leg quarter final 四分之一決賽的第一階段 match was played in North London and ended in a 2-2 draw, despite a truly breathtaking display of skill and talent from Barcelona.
Arsenal can consider themselves lucky to be going into tonight's second leg第二階段 with that result.
However, the efforts made by their players in the first match have certainly taken their toll 對(duì)他們?cè)斐闪藫p失.
The determining factor was Almunia, who saved 12,000 balls.
Pep Guardiola, Barcelona manager
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, himself a Catalan and former Barcelona youth player, broke a bone in his leg taking the penalty that saved the game for his team.
Other talismanic 帶有避邪作用的（這里指為球隊(duì)帶來(lái)幸運(yùn)的）Arsenal players who were injured in the game include the baby-faced assassin 娃娃臉暗殺手（這里指足球高手）Andrey Arshavin and key defender William Gallas.
One important player who will be fit for the game is the Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia who covered himself in glory 獲得榮譽(yù)，贊美 in the first match by repeatedly denying 連續(xù)不斷地阻擾了 Barcelona goals.
In fact the Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola hailed 歡呼，夸獎(jiǎng) Almunia's performance.
"The determining factor was Almunia, who saved 12,000 balls," Guardiola said, exaggerating 夸大 for comic effect.
As an attacker you have to be on the front foot. Hopefully I can get at them and give them a problem.
Theo Walcott, Arsenal
Arsenal will be hoping for another excellent performance from Theo Walcott, who led the fightback 領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了回?fù)?in last week's match.
And Walcott has promised to cause problems for Barcelona tonight.
"As an attacker you have to be on the front foot. Hopefully I can get at them and give them a problem," he said.
The expression 'to be on the front foot' means to be in an attacking rather than defensive movement.
But Barcelona, the current holders of the Champions League trophy, are unlikely to be daunted 被嚇倒，使(某人)氣餒 by the presence of Walcott.
"It may be really good for him to run 100m in a little over 10 seconds, but the aim is to get to the goal," said Barcelona defender Eric Abidal.
"We'll wait there for him and we'll see what he can do with the ball - let's see if he can get past four defenders."
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