Who could Arsenal face in the Champions League round of 16?
Arsenal comfortably progressed from their group on their Champions League comeback and they will now enter the round of 16 draw which will be held in Nyon on Monday.
Mikel Arteta’s side could be drawn against seven different teams. Having finished top of their group, the Gunners will face one of the runners-up from the remaining seven groups.
Ahead of the upcoming draw in Switzerland, here are the teams that the Gunners could face.
Copenhagen – Superliga
The Danish champions started as the underdogs in Group A after being pitted alongside Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Galatasaray. They performed above their expectations, beating United and Galatasaray at home and picking up a point at Bayern.
Paris Saint-Germain – Ligue 1
The French champions had a difficult group stage campaign with a number of big faces including Lionel Messi and Neymar heading for the exit door. A draw against Borussia Dortmund on the final matchday was enough to secure their last 16 spot ahead of AC Milan on the head-to-head record.
Inter Milan – Serie A
The Nerazzurri have had a fine campaign in all competitions. They are currently top of Serie A with 38 points and finished just behind Real Sociedad on goal difference. The Milan giants were held to a goalless draw by the La Liga outfit on matchday six.
Lazio – Serie A
Lazio have endured a difficult Serie A season and are currently languishing in the 10th position. However, they have had better fortunes in Europe. They comfortably finished as the runners-up in their group ahead of Feyenoord despite losing to Atletico yesterday.
Napoli – Serie A
Not much has gone right for Napoli in their Scudetto defence. They are currently 14 points behind the Nerazzurri for the top spot, having lost three of the previous four games. In Europe, they managed to pick up 10 points in Group C, six ahead of third-placed Braga.
Porto – Primeira Liga
Porto had to work hard for their position but they managed to edge ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk on the final matchday with a resounding 5-3 victory. The Portuguese giants had a better goal difference than leaders Barcelona but ended up second on the head-to-head.
RB Leipzig – Bundesliga
Leipzig were always among the favourites to make the round of 16 alongside Manchester City from Group G. They picked up 12 points from their six matches with their two defeats coming against the reigning European champions.
Arsenal have reached the round of 16 stage for the first time since the 2016/17 season. They now face a big challenge to make the quarter-final. The Gunners have failed to qualify for the last eight of the competition since the 2009/10 campaign.
They have been eliminated in the last 16 in the previous seven editions they have participated in. The fans will be hoping for a favourable draw this time around. Copenhagen, Porto or Lazio would be the preferrable picks for most of the faithful.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
