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Arsenal face the formidable challenge of holders Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League.

The Gunners, who memorably clinched a place in the knock-out stages with victory at Olympiakos last week, were handed arguably the toughest task when the draw for the next round was made at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.

Their Barclays Premier League rivals Chelsea were also handed a difficult assignment as they were paired with Paris St Germain for the third year in succession.

By contrast, Manchester City will be happier with their draw against Dynamo Kyiv – but there was a notable downside for their supporters as the game in Ukraine must be played behind closed doors.

Kyiv were were hit with a two-game stadium closure last month for the misbehaviour of their fans, which included racist chanting.

City are hoping to to reach the quarter-finals for the first time, having been knocked out by Barcelona in the last 16 for the past two seasons.

Arsenal this time face the mighty Catalans and they will need to overcome their own poor record against the side from the Nou Camp. Arsene Wenger’s men were well beaten by Barcelona, 6-3 and 5-2 on aggregate, in 2010 and 2011 respectively, while they also lost to them in the 2006 final in Paris.

Arsenal secretary David Miles said: “It’s not going to be easy and it’s the team that most Arsenal fans would have wanted to avoid at this stage, but it’s up to us to make a good fist of it.

“We’ve got our own world-class players and certainly we’ll go in for this.

“It should be two fantastic games and we’re very much looking forward to it.”

Barcelona said they are also expecting a difficult tie.

Technical secretary Robert Fernandez, currently in Japan for the Club World Cup, said: “It’s an open and difficult tie. They have a very good team, magnificent players and play good football. We’ll enjoy it.”

Chelsea know their opponents well, having beaten PSG en route to the 2014 semi-finals but lost to them in March in a last-16 tie overshadowed by a racist incident involving fans on the Paris Metro.

PSG defender Thiago Silva expects Jose Mourinho’s side to prove harder opponents than they were last year, despite their domestic struggles.

He said on the club website: “I think it will be tougher this season than last year. We know the Chelsea players well and we know they will give everything to get past the last-16 – but so will we.”

City will be pleased to have avoided the French giants, who looked to be the most dangerous of the sides that qualified as group runners-up.

City, who won their group for the first time, last faced Kyiv in the Europa League in 2011. That tie is best remembered for the involvement of Mario Balotelli, who suffered an allergic reaction to the grass in the first leg and was sent off in the second.

Kyiv finished second to Chelsea in their group and are coached by former Tottenham striker Sergey Rebrov.

City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “It’s going to be difficult for us but the most important thing is that we show we’re improving in this competition and we’ll fight to get to the quarters.”

Rebrov told uefa.com: “City are a solid and well-balanced team but we have already played against them and enjoyed success.

“Everyone has weak points. Our job is to find them. It will be a busy time in the Premier League then. Clubs will play twice a week and this also will be significant.”

Bayern Munich were handed a tough-looking draw against Juventus, while Real Madrid will also face Italian opposition in Roma.

Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven, the two sides that qualified at Manchester United’s expense, were paired with Ghent and Atletico Madrid respectively.

The other tie in the round sees two-time winners Benfica come up against Zenit St Petersburg.

Champions League round of 16 draw: Gent v Wolfsburg, Roma v Real Madrid, Paris St Germain v Chelsea, Arsenal v Barcelona, Juventus v Bayern Munich, PSV Eindhoven v Atletico Madrid, Benfica v Zenit St Petersburg, Dynamo Kyiv v Manchester City. First legs to be played February 16/17 and 23/24. Second legs to be played March 8/9 and 15/16.

Manchester United will play Danish champions FC Midtjylland after dropping into the Europa League.

Louis van Gaal’s men, eliminated from the Champions League last week, were handed the tie in the draw for the last 32 of the second-tier competition at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.

Premier League rivals Liverpool were paired with German outfit Augsburg, while Tottenham were handed a rematch against their conquerors last season, Fiorentina. Gary Neville’s Valencia were drawn against Rapid Vienna.

United found themselves in the Europa League after finishing third behind Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven in their Champions League group. It is the second time in four years they have suffered such a fate. Their former defender Rio Ferdinand described their demise as “embarrassing” last week.

Midtjylland, who beat Southampton earlier in the competition, will host United on Februrary 18 and visit Old Trafford the following week.

Spurs avoided sides eliminated from the Champions League, but will face a stern test against Fiorentina, who are flying high in second in Serie A. The Florence side beat Spurs 3-1 on aggregate at the same stage last season, although it took two goals in the second half of the second leg in Italy to end the tie.

Liverpool may be happier with their draw, with Augsburg currently 13th in the Bundesliga, while Anfield boss Jurgen Klopp will undoubtedly relish facing opposition from his homeland.

Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl was delighted to be coming up against Klopp and the five-time European champions.

Weinzierl said at a press conference: “The anticipation of facing Liverpool is huge. Everyone was happy.

“Liverpool are a cult club and Jurgen is a huge name in Germany so I’m happy for the whole club.

“We will do everything we can. This game is something special.”

New Valencia boss Gary Neville missed out on a reunion with former club United, with the Spaniards instead facing Austrian opposition.

Europa League round of 32 draw: Valencia v Rapid Vienna, Fiorentina v Tottenham, Borussia Dortmund v Porto, Fenerbahce v Lokomotiv Moscow, Anderlecht v Olympiakos, Midtjylland v Manchester United, Augsburg v Liverpool, Sparta Prague v Krasnodar, Galatasaray v Lazio, Sion v Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk v Schalke, Marseille v Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla v Molde, Sporting Lisbon v Bayer Leverkusen, Villarreal v Napoli, St Etienne v Basle. First legs to be played on February 18. Second legs to be played on February 24/25.