Xavi’s other main role is to bring calm, establish control, give confidence to his team-mates and dictate the game. He may not be a combative midfield general but thanks to his uncanny knack of holding on to the ball, he is the man who can deprive Arsenal of their rapid-fire attacking onslaughts and slow the pace down to Barca’s own rhythm.

This was demonstrated to perfection on Saturday against Athletic. The Basque outfit, trailing 2-0 at the break, came out firing on all cylinders in the second half as they applied relentless pressure in the Barca half.

Guardiola quickly realised the danger and just seven minutes in, he introduced his midfield talisman into the contest. Suffice to say, the Blaugrana immediately wrestled back control of proceedings and added another two goals, both of which were initiated, although not set-up directly, by Xavi.

It’s easier to mark out Messi than it is to keep Xavi quiet. And Arsenal showed last Wednesday in the first leg that if done correctly, it is not impossible contain ‘El Mesias’.

The Argentine fired an early warning to the Gunners when he burst through a crowd of defenders and forced a fine kick-save out of Manuel Almunia. But from then on, Little Lionel never looked as threatening again as the Arsenal rearguard put a barrier around him and did not afford him the space and time to work his magic.

But Xavi plays such a deep role that to eradicate him from the game completely, Arsenal would have to drag two maybe three men out of position just to surround him deep inside his own half. That would leave Arsene Wenger’s midfield compromised as his players would be out of position and they would leave too many gaps for the other Blaugrana dangermen to exploit.

Stuttgart coach, Christian Gross theorised that the best way to stop Messi is to make sure the ball doesn’t get to his feet. It didn’t work for the Germans in the round of 16. But to stop Xavi, you would have to get the ball off his feet. That will not be an easy task, and you can only wish Wenger’s men the best of luck.

Barcelona will go into the clash at the Camp Nou as favourites to beat Arsenal and advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League. And many a football fan would put their money on Messi to emerge as the hero. But just keep your eyes on Xavi and watch how he will quietly win the game for Barca.

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