Barca face Arsenal in last 16
Another clash between big guns will feature former winners and last season’s finalists Juventus and Bayern Munich, while 10-time champions Real Madrid were drawn against AS Roma.
Barca could have faced the Gunners, PSG, Juventus, PSV, Gent or Dynamo Kyiv after topping Group E. The draw eventually paired them with Arsene Wenger’s side, who finished second in their group behind Bayern Munich following a 3-0 victory over Olympiacos.
Chelsea beat PSG en route to the 2014 semi-finals but lost to them in March in a last-16 tie overshadowed by a racist inicident involving fans on the Paris Metro.
“The only guarantee we have is that we’ll have two great teams playing two great games”.
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud celebrates after scoring a goal in a match that took his team to the Champions League quarter finals.
London rivals Chelsea also drew a team they have become familiar with – but wanted very much to avoid – in Paris St-Germain.
Although Barca can boast the famed forward trident of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, Miles claimed Arsenal, who will play the first leg at home on February 23, have their own players to grace the occasion. “It will be vital to get a good result away from home in the first leg so we can be more relaxed when we play them at home”.
Last year, when the Blues won the English Premiership crown at a canter, they were knocked out by the French outfit at the same stage, on the away-goals rule.
“There is a great danger when you go to a draw – Dynamo Kyiv they have been in a very tough group phase with Porto and Chelsea“. Everyone is slipping up at the moment, and although they haven’t looked flawless themselves, they are now top of the table, at least until Leicester play Chelsea tonight.
Emilio Butragueño, Real Madrid’s director of institutional relations: “It’s a special competition and we all know what it means and what a source of motivation it is”.
“We know what can happen if you have 10 poor minutes on a European night”.
“They are a strong side, but they like to play football and it is just 11 vs 11”.
City’s only previous meeting with Kyiv came in the UEFA Cup’s last 16 in 2011 and was memorable for the antics of a certain Mario Balotelli. “If you know a little about football, today PSG is the favorite to advance to the quarterfinals, and that is a great responsibility”, he said after the draw when asked if Chelsea would pose a more potent threat given the club’s woes.
