Arsenal set to take the attack to Barcelona

Arsenal plans to remain faithful to its attacking philosophy against Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday despite having been comprehensively outplayed by the Catalan club in the competition last year.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says his team won't sit back and merely defend at Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the last-16 match.

The two teams clashed last year in the quarterfinals. Barcelona won 6-3 on aggregate but could only draw 2-2 at Arsenal despite a totally dominant performance.

Arsenal hopes to exploit the defensive weaknesses evident in Barcelona's 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon on Saturday.

But Lionel Messi, who scored four goals against Arsenal in the second leg last year, has shown no signs of being tamed.