Source: Daily_Mail
Staying alive: Were back from dead, says Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger
Wenger: 'I always had hope', says Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists his depleted Arsenal team are 'back from the dead' and capable of shocking Barcelona in the Nou Camp tonight. Alex Song did not travel to the Catalan capital for the Champions League quarter-final second leg after scans revealed a cartilage problem in his knee. He joins fellow absentees Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Andrey Arshavin and William Gallas. Tomas Rosicky is rated 50-50 with a calf injury, and Sol Campbell is struggling with a hamstring problem. Wenger said: 'I have never had so many injuries before such a big game.' But, after seeing his side recover from the 'psychological impact' of being outplayed for 45 minutes in the first leg and coming from two down to draw 2-2, the Arsenal manager has faith in his side to complete the job against the European champions. Wenger said: 'These players have come back from the dead once and can do it again. At 2-0 down I felt we needed a miracle but I always had hope. It's Easter you know, a time of resurrection, and that's what we want to do.' Turning negative situations around has been a feature of Arsenal's season, the latest incident coming against Wolves on Saturday, when Nicklas Bendtner scored a 94th-minute winner. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola described his side's first-half display at the Emirates as the best football his team had played in his two seasons in charge. Fabregas said he had never faced a better team. But Barca did not score until after half-time and still failed to win. Injured: Alex Song has been ruled out of the Champions League against Barca Wenger said: 'I don't think we have ever been dominated so much at home but, if you look at the number of chances we created, it is interesting. 'There was a psychological impact on us because we are so used to having the ball. We were victims of Barcelona's reputation. 'When we managed to get through their passing, we always looked dangerous.'Rosicky's calf injury was sustained in the challenge from Wolves captain Karl Henry, for which Henry was sent off at the Emirates on Saturday. Wolves accused Rosicky of over-reacting, but Wenger said: 'When you look at his calf, you can see the tackle was not as innocent as it looked.' Song will be replaced tonight by Campbell or Mikael Silvestre. Barca have Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique banned and Zlatan Ibrahimovic injured while Andres Iniesta may not be risked after a hamstring injury. Fernando Torres backs Arsenal to win Premier League and stop Manchester United surpassing Liverpool's 18-title haul Arsenal are on the verge of history in Champions League clash with Barcelona, insists Emmanuel PetitARSENAL FC
