Arsenal’s Samir Nasri has Barcelona dream

CL, Arsenal and Barcelona, Samir Nasri and Gerard Pique (Getty Images)

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Arsenal play Sunderland today in the Premier League but Arsenal’s Samir Nasri already has one eye on Barcelona next Tuesday.

The Gunners were knocked out by the Catalan giants in the quarter-finals of last year’s competition though Nasri says Arsenal have grown up since their last defeat in the Camp Nou.

“Last year we didn’t touch the ball,” Nasri told The Guardian.

“They were everywhere, it was like playing 16 against 11. It really was a nightmare.

“Maybe we were scared of them as they were fantastic. But this year we said we had nothing to lose. We just played our game and we beat them.

“At the Camp Nou they will have to attack and they will leave space for us to score on the counter-attack and so we will do it.”

Nasri though has huge admiration for Barcelona, a team he would not rule out one day playing for: “When I was younger my hero was [Diego] Maradona.

“After that it was Ronaldo and [Zinedine] Zidane but Maradona played for Barcelona. The game that they have is the way that I love football. I don’t make plans for my future. I have learned that you cannot predict what will happen.”

The 23-year-old did though confirm he could never follow former team-mate William Gallas by signing for rivals Tottenham.

Nasri and Gallas have a well-known dislike for one another, and the Arsenal man said: “That’s another good reason not to go there.

“I will not play for Tottenham, it’s like in France, I cannot play for Paris St-Germain [Marseille’s rivals] because I’m faithful.”

Nasri is currently 25th in the Castrol Rankings, up from 42nd a month ago, and is Arsenal’s second-highest ranked player at the moment, behind Andrey Arshavin in 22nd.

For more Castrol rankings insights visit the Castrol Zone on Goal.com