6' Ignacio Monreal Eraso 40'Five minutes to go in this opening period of the match and neither side will be wanting to concede so close to the break here, so attacking ambition may just go down to a low tempo until the second half. These are the margins that are so important when into the knockout stages of the Champions League! 38'Arsenal had a great opportunity a few minutes ago to get a decent ball into the box through Oxlade-Chamberlain, only for the Englishman to pass it up. It seems that they may have paid an even bigger price for his miscue though as he has actually came out of the tackle with Mascherano the worst, even though he himself was the aggressor. Any damage will probably be assessed at the break. 36'Oxlade-Chamberlain takes advantage of a loose ball down the right wing and quickly opens up his stride with a typically pacey run on the touchline. He has plenty of support inside the area in the form of Ozil and Giroud, but lets himself down with a terribly heavy touch, which allows Mascherano to come across and make the strong tackle, with both players coming out of the altercation with a knock. 34'Messi is fouled around 25 yards out by Koscielny as the Frenchman attempts to block the route to goal. The Barca man dusts himself off to get up and take the free kick, but it is a strange one from him, as he actually attempts to send the ball UNDER the wall and into the bottom corner. Instead, the attempt cannons off the ranks of Arsenal players 10 yards away. 32'Suarez picks up up the ball a yard or so into the box and turns sharply before looking to jink beyond Koscielny and Mertesacker, in an effort to find space to get the shot away. In the end, the Uruguayan is marshalled out of play by the Arsenal central defensive duo, who remain solid and don't dive in to anything. 30'We are beyond the halfway point of the first period now and, despite the scoreline remaining at 0-0, it is a highly entertaining Champions League first-leg knockout tie. Arsenal have been very impressive so far in their defensive work, but it will be interesting to see if they can maintain this level of concentration and workrate for the full 90 minutes. 28'Wenger and the Arsenal fans are really getting on the back of the referee here, as they seemingly believe that Barcelona are getting some special treatment. This stems from a challenge on Alexis from Rakitic that wasn't given as a foul, and then a subsequent challenge from Coquelin on Messi that was indeed blown for a free kick. The referee got both decisions right, so the Emirates faithful might want to check the highlights later! 26'Well, considering Monreal was booked very early on for his first challenge of the match, it seems odd that Busquets is not penalised by the referee as he completely halts an Arsenal counterattack by taking out Alexis Sanchez inside the centre circle. The Chilean, quite rightly, is enquiring as to why his former Barca team-mate didn't see yellow. 24'This is an excellent spell from Arsenal and the Emirates faithful are really getting behind their side at the moment! You get the feeling that Wenger's men will need to capitalise on one of these llittle moments of dominance, though, as Barcelona are capabale of scoring at any time. The home side much the better team! 22'TWO MISSES FROM ARSENAL! The hosts once again look dangerous on the counterattack and the ball comes to Ozil, who cleverly lays into the path of Bellerin. The Spaniard sees his weak shot blocked on the penalty spot! Oxlade-Chamberlain collects the loose possession, but is falling back as he pulls the trigger, thus making the subsequent attempt on goal go harmlessly into the arms of the grateful Ter Stegen! That was a REAL chance! 20'Pique attempts to catalyse an attack with a powerful run through the middle, evading a couple of tackles inside the centre circle as he dribbles forward. He eventually attempts to lash a pass into the feet of Suarez, but an uncharacteristic miscue from the Uruguayan allows Koscielny to pounce and win the ball back for the Gunners at the back. 18'Neymar typically picks up possession down the left touchline and then dazzles Bellarin with a wonderful bit of skill, weaving in between a couple of challenges as he goes. The Brazilian stops in his tracks, asking for the foul from the referee after a small tug from Oxlade- Chamberlain, but the referee is having none of it and quickly waves play on. 16'The match is playing out like a bit of a chess game at the moment, as Barcelona screen the spaces in an attempt to pounce with a penetrating pass through. Haven't seen too much of Messi, Neymar, or Suarez yet, which is testament to how rigidly Arsenal have set up in defence and midfield. Giroud quite isolated as the lone striker, though. 14'The home side seem to be getting further and further pressed back into their defence here, which is creating a somewhat tense atmosphere inside the Emirates. No goalscoring chances created as of yet, but with plenty of creative influences out there for both teams, we should see some action soon in and around the respective penalty areas. 12'Wenger's men seem relatively content to let Barca have the ball in deeper areas in defence, instead opting to squeeze the space in midfield available to Busquets, Iniesta, and Rakitic. An interesting tactic, but the visiting players have a knack for finding room when it looks like there is none. 10'Barcelona confidently and patiently play the ball about along the backline, with Pique passing from left to right. Possession eventually comes to Mascherano, who attempts to find his compatriot, Messi, with a diagonal pass deep down the right wing, only for it to sway out for a goal kick to Arsenal, as the Gunners are gifted back the ball. 8'Arsenal catch Barca out with a quick counterattack down the left-hand side, with Ozil leading the charge with a commanding dribble. He eventually hits the byline before teeing up Ramsey on the edge of the box, but the ball is just behind the Welshman, which makes it difficult to get a decent impact on his strike. Barcelona eventually clear. 6'We have our first booking of the match now and it is a worryingly early one for Monreal, who needlessly hacks down Rakitic down the right wing, even as Barcelona weren't looking threatening at all. Good luck, Nacho - only Messi, Neymar, and Suarez to deal with whilst on a yellow! 4'Arsene Wenger will have been encouraged by the first couple of minutes or so, as his charges started the match with a high tempo, attempting to pin Barca back. However, the Blaugrana, typically, have quickly asserted their domination of possession in those central areas. Will be interesting to see how the hosts react, as they are more often than not the team who sees most of the ball at the Emirates. 2'After a positive start from Arsenal, Barcelona eventually take play up the left-hand side and earn the first set-piece of the match after Neymar is scythed down by Ramsey, who is furious with the referee. The Brazilian, as well as Messi, stands over the ball waiting to ping the free kick into the box. 1'ARSENAL v BARCELONA IS UNDER WAY AT THE EMIRATES! The teams are making their way to the pitch and we are almost ready for kick-off! Barcelona subs: Bravo, Munir, Sergi Roberto, Adriano, Aleix Vidal, Vermaelen, Mathieu. Arsenal subs: Ospina, Chambers, Gibbs, Flamini, Campbell, Walcott, Welbeck. Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Dani Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Neymar, Suarez. Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Ramsey, Coquelin; Oxlade- Chamberlain, Ozil, Alexis; Giroud.

6' Ignacio Monreal Eraso 45'WHAT A MISS FROM SUAREZ! Iniesta finds a lovely pass over the top of the Arsenal defence for the onrushing Dani Alves, who picks a out a teasing cross to the front post! The Uruguayan meets it to glance a header towards the bottom corner from a yard out, but it goes the wrong side of the post! Barcelona should be 1-0 up! 44'SAAAAAAAAAVEEEE FROM CECH! Ramsey poorly gives the ball away in midfield and Barcelona pounce in predatory fashion, as possession moves up top to Neymar, who subsequently finds Messi. The Argentine tees up Suarez with a neat dink into space, and the shot and goes towards the bottom corner, but the former Chelsea goalkeeper stands tall to make the VITAL block! 42'Arsenal have been extremely impressive on the counterattack here, with their work in midfield being the real highlight. However, they will be frustrated at their current inability to find a final ball, as they have passed up a number of opportunites with miscued passes or wayward passes, with Giroud proving to be the guilty party on this occasion as he attempt to slide a ball through to Oxlade- Chamberlain.