We’re well prepared for Barcelona, says Petr

What do you think of Barcelona as an opponent?
It’s one of the Champions League favourites. They’re confidently leading the Spanish league and have been extremely successful overall. Especially their offensive trio is on top form and keeps on scoring.

Do you have a lot of respect for them?
If you’re looking to get as far as possible in the Champions League, you’ve got to anticipate facing teams like this in play-off. There’s no picking. We’re going to have to deal with them and attempt to secure as convenient a result as possible for the next leg. It’d be ideal if we could start in Barcelona with an aggregate one-goal lead. It’s also important not to concede, though not necessarily decisive.

You’ve faced Barcelona several times in Chelsea jersey. Do these matches present any challenge to you whatsoever?
When you’re starting out your football career this is the kind of big games you fantasise about. It’s yet another thing you’re in the business for and you stay motivated for success—even though your opponent might be one of the toughest ones out there, such as Barcelona.

What sort of state of mind will Arsenal be starting the game with?
We’re where we need to be in the table. We pulled through a key game with Leicester and so we can indulge in starting with a positive mindset. We got a plenty of scoring opportunities in the FA Cup game with Hull, unfortunately for us the opposing goalie was undoubtedly the man of the match. The result was a 0-0 draw and there will have to be a rematch. I hope we might have saved a couple goals for the Champions League.

It is primarily the Messi, Neymar and Suarez trio that embodies Barcelona’s strength. How would you characterise them?
Their primary strength is the fact that the three of them play as one mini-team. They’re not selfish; each of them has lots of assists on their account. They seize opportunities and score from them. Yet each one of them is capable of deciding the match on their own. They possess immense individual qualities and work well together. The individual skills are augmented further once they’re transferred into a team-based environment. This mini-team of theirs, supplemented by Iniesta and Rakatic, simply works impeccably.