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Arsenal must produce one of the greatest comebacks in European football history if they are to progress to the quarter-finals at the expense of Barcelona tonight.
Having lost the first leg 2-0, they must win by a two goal margin at the Nou Camp. In the 24-year history of the Champions League, no side has ever overturned a two-goal home deficit.
However there have been other miraculous comebacks from which Arsenal can draw inspiration as we detail below. Arsene Wenger can also find grains of hope in Arsenal's previous two Champions League campaigns. In both, they were beaten at home by a two-goal margin in the first leg before levelling the tie in the second. Against Monaco last year Arsenal lost 3-1 in first leg and won 2-0 in France and the same scoreline was seen against Bayern Munich in 2013/14. Unfortunately for the Gunners, they were eliminated on the away goals rule on both occasions.
Among the English sides to make historic comebacks in our collection below include Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Fulham – but having fallen just short on many occasion, can Arsenal finally pull off a great comeback of their own?
Show all 13 1 /13The greatest European comebacks The greatest European comebacks Chelsea 2 PSG 0 (April 2014, Champions League quarter-final) When Chelsea were beaten 3-1 in Paris, Champions League progress looked impossible. But a superb defensive display at Stamfrod Bridge coupled with goals from Andre Schurrle and then Demba Ba in the 87th minute meant the London club progressed to the semi-finals on away goals. The win sparked wild celebrations, including Jose Mourinho memorably getting involved with the players.
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The greatest European comebacks Tottenham 3 Dnipro 2 (February 2014, Europa League last-32) Having lost 1-0 in Ukraine, Spurs looked to be crashing out of the Europa League when Roman Zozulya put the away side ahead at White Hart Lane. But three goals in 13 minutes, beginning with Christian Eriksen's effort before an Emmanuel Adebayor double, salvaged Spurs' campaign and sent them through to the last-16.
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The greatest European comebacks Chelsea 5 Napoli 4 (March 2012, Champions League last 16) A 3-1 defeat in Italy left Chelsea with a slim chance of progress in the Champions League, but goals from Didier Drogba and John Terry at Stamford Bridge meant the Blues would be going through on away goals. That was until Gokhan Inler scored for the visitors, meaning a Frank Lampard penalty was needed to send the tie into extra-time. Branislav Ivanovic scored the decisive goal on 105 minutes, and Chelsea rolled on and all the way to glory in Munich.
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The greatest European comebacks Liverpool 3 AC Milan 3 - Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties (May 2005, Champions League final) Liverpool beat AC Milan in a penalty shoot-out to win the Champions League after sensationally coming from three goals down at half-time. Paolo Maldini gave Milan a first-minute lead, and two goals from Hernan Crespo put them in a seemingly unassailable position at the interval. Reds captain Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool hope, and Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso levelled in a seven-minute spell. Jerzy Dudek then saved from Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko in the shoot-out to clinch a stunning victory.
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The greatest European comebacks Manchester United 3 Olympiakos 0 (February 2014, Champions League Round of 16) When on-loan Arsenal striker Joel Campbell made it 2-0 to Olympiakos in the first leg, Manchester United looked done for - particularly without an away goal. But a former Arsenal man in the shape of Robin van Persie single-handedly turned things around by scoring a hat-trick at Old Trafford in the second leg of the Round of 16 tie.
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The greatest European comebacks Deportivo La Coruna 4 AC Milan 0 (April 2004, Champions League quarter-final) Deportivo left the San Siro after the first leg on the end of a 4-1 defeat facing the task of overhauling a three-goal deficit against an Italian defence including Maldini and Alessandro Nesta. Walter Pandiani's early goal was added to by Juan Carlos Valeron's header half an hour later as the Spanish side started to believe. Just two minutes before half-time Albert Luque held off Nesta before smashing the ball into the roof of the net to put the home side ahead on aggregate. Veteran substitute Fran stunned the Rossoneri when he sealed the amazing comeback with a fourth goal 15 minutes from time.
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The greatest European comebacks Fulham 5 Juventus 4 (March, 2010 Europa League last-16) Fulham produced one of the most amazing displays ever seen in Europe when they came from 4-1 down to triumph 5-4 over Italian giants Juventus. They lost the first leg in Turin 3-1 and fell a further goal behind at Craven Cottage when David Trezeguet scored in the second minute. However, a Bobby Zamora volley and a Zoltan Gera brace brought them level before Clint Dempsey's exquisite chip sealed the win.
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The greatest European comebacks Juventus 2 Manchester United 3 (April 1999, Champions League semi-final) After a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, going 2-0 down in the opening 10 minutes of the second-leg at the Stadio Delle Alpi was not what the Red Devils had planned. Captain Roy Keane hauled his side back into the game, heading home from a corner before getting a booking which was to rule him out of the final. Keane pushed his team forward and Dwight Yorke levelled the scores with a diving header from Andy Cole's cross. Cole then netted United's third as they reached their first European Cup final in 31 years.
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The greatest European comebacks Basle 3 Liverpool 3 (November 2002, Champions League group match) Liverpool trailed 3-0 in Switzerland as Julio Rossi, Christian Gimenez and Timothee Atouba all found the net in the opening half an hour. Danny Murphy's shot from the edge of the area restored some pride before Milan Baros set up Smicer for a sliding close-range finish three minutes later. Michael Owen got Liverpool level with seven minutes remaining, when he scored the rebound fromhis penalty. However, despite the comeback Liverpool still crashed out of the competition in the group stage.
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The greatest European comebacks Manchester United 2 Bayern Munich 1 (May 1999, Champions League final) United trailed for nearly the entire game after falling behind to Mario Basler's sixth-minute free-kick. But, in the most amazing finish in the competition's history, United turned the game on its head. Substitute Teddy Sheringham equalised with a shot on the turn from eight yards and extra-time beckoned. But United had other ideas and, when David Beckham's corner was flicked on by Sheringham, fellow substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rifled the ball into the roof of the net to spark incredible scenes among around 40,000 United fans in the Nou Camp. United had become the first club to win the treble of European Cup, Premier League title and FA Cup.
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The greatest European comebacks Middlesbrough 4 Basle 1 (April 2006, UEFA Cup quarter-final) Boro trailed 2-0 after the Uefa Cup quarter-final first leg in Switzerland and no-one gave Steve McClaren's side a chance of making it through - especially when the visitors took a 23rd-minute lead through Eduardo. Mark Viduka equalised before half-time and his second in the 57th minute gave the Teessiders the belief they needed to push on. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored Boro's third to put them in the ascendancy and, with four strikers on the pitch at the end, substitute Massimo Maccarone fired in a 90th-minute winner to seal a 4-3 aggregate victory.
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The greatest European comebacks Dinamo Zagreb 1 Lyon 7 (December 2011, Champions League group match) Lyon routed 10-man Dinamo Zagreb and completed a remarkable nine-goal swing to qualify for the last 16 of this season's competition ahead of Ajax. With the Dutch side losing to group winners Real Madrid, Lyon had a mathematical chance of going through but were seven adrift on goal difference. Real's 3-0 win in Amsterdam did some of the work but a stunning six-goal showing in the second period against Dinamo, who had led 1-0, was decisive. Bafetimbi Gomis scored a seven-minute hat-trick, while Maxime Gonalons, Lisandro Lopez and Jimmy Briand also found the net.
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The greatest European comebacks Real Madrid 5 Derby County 1 (1975, European Cup last 16) After taking a 4-1 lead in the first leg, Derby were rather confident heading to the Bernabeu. They shouldn't have been. Read the full story by
CLICKING HERE . Picture is Archie Gemmill who played for Derby that night.
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