Fears of a defensive stalemate between Arsenal and Barcelona in the Champions League clash at the Emirates Stadium could prove to be unfounded as the Spanish club’s coach Pep Guardiola insisted that his club will continue to stick to their principles of attacking to win the game.

“Since I took the job our play has been marked by brave, attacking football,” said Guardiola. “Sometimes we’ve been bold and, occasionally, I think we’ve played audaciously.

“It’s a philosophy of football. Win or lose I want us to show who we are and what kind of football we believe in. I want my team to go out and be themselves.

“Those of us lucky enough to work at this level in our profession must never forget that it’s only a sport. We live in a world where everything is spiraling in cost and many people need to make a big sacrifice in order to go and watch a game of football.

“So for me it all makes sense, the effort, the work, the planning, the concentration and the discipline, if you do it for the people. The manner in which we play is a demonstration of the respect we have for the people who pay for a ticket or pay money to watch matches on television.”

There were fears that owing to injuries suffered on both sides prior to the match, with Iniesta and Fabregas just two of the many big name players that might not take any part in the first leg, both teams might choose to adopt a safety-first approach. Guardiola’s comments would point to the opposite although quite how the players will play once the whistle blows remains to be seen.

Barcelona’s injury problems have shown no signs of abating with news that Iniesta did not even travel with the squad to North London. There are also doubts surrounding French defender Eric Abidal and ex-Manchester United centre-back Gerard Pique who will both only be assessed before the game.

Tags: Arsenal, Barcelona, Pep Guardiola, UEFA Champions League