Barca lose key players for Champions tie with Arsenal

Barcelona's Malian midfielder Seydou Keita celebrates after scoring a goal during the Spanish King's Cup (Copa del Rey) football match Barcelona FC vs UD Almeria on January 26, 2011 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. The Catalan team have defensive worries ahead of their showdown with Arsenal which Keita has described as crucial for their season.

Barcelona have defensive worries ahead of Tuesday's showdown with Arsenal which midfielder Seydou Keita has described as crucial for their season.
Keita scored the only goal as Barcelona kept up the pressure at the top of La liga with a 1-0 win over Zaragoza at the weekend and now they turn their attention to the Champions League where they must overturn a 2-1 defeat at the Emirates to progress to the quarter-finals.
"Against Arsenal we have to go out with a strong mentality as this is probably the most important game of the season," said Keita.
"The key is not to let them score a goal because I'm sure that (Leo) Messi, (David) Villa and Pedro (Rodriguez) will get on the scoresheet in attack for us."
The bad news though for the Catalan side is that both their first choice centre-halves will be missing with Gerard Pique suspended and Carles Puyol injured.
Puyol had hoped to be ready in time after a knee injury he suffered in mid-January but following a training session on Sunday he was finally ruled out.
His commanding presence at the back will be a big loss as will Pique's ability to bring the ball out of defence and open up the opposition with his range of passing.
Against Zaragoza, a make-shift side was put out by coach Pep Guardiola as he looked to rest players ahead of Tuesday's game.
Keeper Victor Valdes returned from injury but Eric Abidal, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and David Villa were all on the bench.
Abidal has been in excellent form in recent weeks and he is expected to move from full back into the centre alongside the injury prone Gabi Milito, whose Barca career has been blighted by long spells in the treatment room.
The rest of the team though should be at full strength and it will be an ominous task for the Arsenal defence as they face a forward line which has already scored 78 goals domestically.
They are arguably a stronger proposition than last season when the pair met in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Arsenal drew that time at home but in the return leg they were taken apart 4-1 thanks to a majestic performance from Messi who scored all four goals.
Since then Bar�a have off-loaded Zlatan Ibrahimovic and brought in Villa who has fitted in seamlessly into the side's quick, two touch attacking football.
It is true that Arsenal have also improved and will have learnt from their experience last season when they tried to play Barca at their own game and came off a clear second best.
Arsenal's second place in the Premiership is clear indication of their development with Jack Wilshire having emerged, among the exciting talent, in midfield alongside Cesc Fabregas.
While Wilshire has described himself fit after picking up a knock on his ankle in the 0-0 draw with Sunderland on Saturday, Arsenal too have important injuries with Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie out while Cesc and Alex Song are doubts but expected to be fit.
Keita, who is likely to be on the bench for Barca with Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets making up the midfield, expects a tougher clash this time round.
"It will be a different game because Arsenal will come here with more experience and with new ideas of how to face us. We are though playing well in the la liga and that gives you confidence for the other competitions," he said.

Van Persie blasts referee over 'joke' dismissal

Arsenal's Dutch forward Robin van Persie (L) is sent off during their Champions League football match Barcelona vs Arsenal at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. Van Persie labelled his sending-off in the 3-1 defeat by Barcelona as a 'joke' here on Tuesday.

Arsenal's Dutch forward Robin van Persie labelled his sending-off in the 3-1 Champions League Last 16 second leg defeat by Barcelona as a 'joke' here on Tuesday.
Van Persie, who was only passed fit to play on the morning of the match, was scathing about Swiss referee Massimo Busacca questioning why was he even officiating the match after a second booking in the second-half for shooting after the whistle had gone saw him sent off.
"My sending off was hugely influential on the outcome of the match," Van Persie told Sky Sports.
"It was a total joke. How can I hear the whistle when there are 95,000 fans jumping up and making noise.
"He's (Busacca) been bad all evening and I don't know why he's here.
"They are unbelievable these people."
Busacca was according to reports involved in a fiery exchange with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in the tunnel after the final whistle but the Gunners handler refused to go into details.
"I told him what I thought about his decision face to face," he told Sky Sports.
"He must never have played football at that level (the highest level) to have made that decision as he did."

Shakhtar move seamlessly into Champions League last eight

Willian (R) and Darijo Srna (L) of FC Shakhtar celebrate after Willian scored against AS Roma during their UEFA Champions League football match in Donetsk. Shakhtar won 3-0 and 6-2 on aggregate to move into the last eight.

Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk made no mistake in ensuring they reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time with an impressive 3-0 victory over 10-man AS Roma to win 6-2 on aggregate here on Tuesday.
Goals by Tomas Hubschmann, outstanding Brazilian Willian and Eduardo extended the 2009 UEFA Cup winners' unbeaten home record in European competition to October 2008 when they went down to Sporting Lisbon.
Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu said that he was delighted with the victory but added his side was a work in progress.
"This team is maturing, we have players of 20 and 21-years-old, under contracts for four to five years," said the experienced Romanian, who previously guided Turkish side Galatasaray to the last eight of the competition.
"We won the UEFA Cup, we have created a new benchmark against Roma, what interests me is to take a step forward, we are not thinking of what comes next."
His Roma counterpart Vincenzo Montella - who replaced Claudio Ranieri a fortnight ago - was sorry to have bowed out but saw much to encourage him.
"The guys showed that they have made progress, regardless of the result. They can still do better but there is no need to be demoralised by this result as we are on the right path," added the 36-year-old former Roma and Italy striker.
After suffering a 3-2 home defeat in the first leg, Roma's task was made virtually impossible when they were reduced to 10 men late in the first-half when Philippe Mexes was sent off for a second yellow card.

Dmytro Chygrynskiy (R) of FC Shakhtar vies for the ball with Marco Borriello of AS Roma during their UEFA Champions League football match in Donetsk. Shakhtar won 3-0 and 6-2 on aggregate to move into the last eight.

Czech midfielder Hubschmann took the congratulations of his team (known as the 'Pitmen' as they come from a mining region) in the 18th minute for the goal - his first in 17 months - though it appeared that he had not got a touch to Willian's low cross.
However, Montella will look askance at his defence who allowed such an innocuous goal to give the visitors an even more challenging task in coming back and becoming only the second side since Ajax in the 1995/96 edition to overcome a home loss in the first leg.
Roma, though, wasted a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit just before the half hour mark as English referee Howard Webb awarded them a penalty after Armenian international Henrik Mkhitaryan was penalised for holding back Marco Borriello.
But Roma's leading scorer then produced a dreadful effort which was saved by Andriy Pyatov.
The visitors' chances took another huge blow in the 41st minute when their French central defender Mexes was sent off after being booked for a second time by World Cup final referee Webb when he tugged back Luis Adriano.

However, Webb was found wanting on the stroke of half-time when he booked Shakhtar captain Dario Srna instead of Roma midfielder Daniele di Rossi, who merited a red card for a clear and malicious elbow on Srna and made worse as the referee failed to award a penalty as the offence took place inside the Italians' penalty area.

The energetic Mkhitaryan provided the first action of the second-half as he cut in from the right and unleashed a fierce shot from outside of the box but Roma goalkeeper Doni beat it away.

However, there was little Doni could do in the 58th minute as the 22-year-old Willian produced a finish of the highest class, bringing down a corner from outside the box and curling a half-volley into the top far corner to send the Ukrainian crowd into raptures.

Brazilian-born Croatian international Eduardo, the former Arsenal striker, rounded off a memorable evening for the hosts as he broke free three minutes from time and easily put the ball past Doni.