Mesut Ozil has insisted that his Arsenal team have the credentials to beat Barcelona in the knockout stage of the Champions League.

The Gunners managed to qualify for the last-16 stage of the competition with a 3-0 win over Olympiacos on matchday six, but the draw was not kind as Barcelona were chosen as the Premier League team's opponents.

Despite Barcelona's standing as the favourites to defend the trophy, Ozil is confident that his side have enough quality to edge past the Spanish giants.

"Barcelona are the hardest team in the world to play against. Barcelona are the best team at the moment in the world. We know that, but as a player I look forward to encounters like this," he told The Times.

"It is important to have these big games, it's nice to play against the best teams, to compete with them is a big opportunity for us. We respect Barcelona but they will respect us too. We beat Bayern Munich at home. We are not afraid of Barcelona. We just need to play our game and we can beat them."

Arsenal will host Barcelona in the first leg on February 23, before the pair meet at Camp Nou on March 16.