Santi Cazorla has urged his teammates to ensure they travel to Barcelona in three weeks time with a chance of qualification for the Champions League quarter-finals.

Having suffered a knee ligament injury in November, he Spanish midfielder is not far away from a comeback and is clearly hoping he can play a part when the two sides meet again on March 16th.

Speaking to Onda Cero radio ahead of tonight’s clash at the Emirates, he acknowledged that the visitors are most people’s tip to win, but said, “I want the team to go to Barcelona [for the return leg] with a chance.

“It’s a pain that I can’t play in a game like this, but I’ll continue working hard to come back as soon as possible.

“Hopefully we can go further in the Champions League than in previous years although Barcelona are the favourites.

“Barcelona are a team that come close to perfection, but we’ll try to cause them as many problem as possible.”

He also tipped his teammate, Hector Bellerin, to make his mark in the Spanish national side sooner rather than later.

“Hector is going to be the player of the future for both Spain, and Arsenal,” he said. And no doubt when he tears them apart tonight, Barcelona will start talking about his DNA at every possible moment.

Speaking of which, Bellerin is happy to use what he learned at La Masia, the Barcelona lab, to help his current team this evening.

“It’s nice that you come to Arsenal from that club and you’re doing the same stuff that you’ve learned already,” he said. “You share all the knowledge that your team-mates have and that’s very important. It definitely made it easier for me to adapt.

“I’m wearing another shirt now and I’m very proud of it. I’m proud to wear the Arsenal badge. When the news came that we had them in the draw, everyone was really, really happy.

“I’ve got all of my family and friends over there so it will be a great night.”