In last April's quarter-finals, the London side went to Spain full of hope after a 2-2 draw at home. They even took the lead only to be shredded by Lionel Messi who scored four times to earn his side a 6-3 aggregate win.
This time, Arsene Wenger's team have gone one better after a smash and grab raid in north London when Messi was strangely profligate by his own stunningly high standards.
Quite what the Argentine magician has up his sleeve this time only he knows, but Arsenal, like their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk will have genuine belief that they can reach the quarter-finals.
Tottenham's first Champions League adventure continued last month with a memorable 1-0 victory in the San Siro against seven-times winners AC Milan and they will be favourites to finish off the Italians at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.
While backs-to-the-wall defending is not Arsenal's style - they prefer the game's finer arts - Barcelona may find more obdurate opponents this time round, especially as the emphasis is not on Arsenal to chase a goal.
"The challenge will be to find the right balance between having a team who can defend, as well as one that has a good opportunity, every time it has the ball, to go forward," Wenger, who is without van Persie and Theo Walcott, told the club's website.
Barcelona, who rested some of their key players for Saturday's 1-0 win against Real Zaragoza, are without injured captain and central defender Carles Puyol.
