Wenger confident his boys will be men against Barcelona

ARSENE WENGER has warned Barcelona his young Arsenal side can cause their star-studded team plenty of trouble as the Gunners look to knock the Champions League holders and competition favourites out of Europe.

Arsenal will give captain Cesc Fabregas every chance to recover from a heavy bruising to his leg and knee as the influential Spain midfielder aims to face his boyhood club in the first leg at Emirates Stadium tonight.

Barcelona, though, are nevertheless expected to progress into the semi-finals at the expense of the English outfit, as Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a certain former Arsenal skipper, Thierry Henry, look to take a lead back to the Nou Camp for the second leg.

Wenger, however, is confident his youngsters can rise to the challenge and give Barcelona a run for their money.

The Arsenal manager declared: "If we produce the best performance, then we can we can beat any side in the world. What you want from your team is not to worry too much about the strengths of Barcelona, but more focus on our strengths and our qualities."

Defender William Gallas is in line for a first appearance since the start of February after recovering from a calf problem.