Chronicle EditorPARIS. — Arsenal were once again drawn against Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Uefa Champions League soccer yesterday, while Barcelona will also come up against familiar foes in the shape of Paris Saint-Germain.Arsenal — despite winning their group — were handed a tough draw in the Champions League knock-out stages against German giants Bayern Munich, who they have played six times in last three years.
Leicester’s magic journey now takes them to Spanish side Sevilla, while Manchester City will take on free-scoring French side Monaco.
But the standout draw is Arsenal’s tough assignment against Bayern, with the two sides having faced off in three of the last four seasons.
Both clubs acknowledged the familiarity immediately after the draw on social media, with the Germans replying to a tweet from Arsenal with a clip from the film Groundhog Day.
Arsene Wenger’s side had hoped winning their group for the first time in five years would spare them a tie against one of the continent’s giants in the first knockout round, but instead they must face Carlo Ancelotti’s German champions, who came second in their section, with the first leg in Bavaria.
Bayern eliminated Arsenal en route to winning the trophy in 2012/13 and repeated the feat a year later, while the teams also met in the group stage last season — the Gunners won 2-0 in London but then lost 5-1 at the Allianz Arena.
PSG came second to Arsenal in Group A, leaving them more vulnerable to a tough draw and five-time winners Barcelona have eliminated the French club in the quarter-finals in two of the past four seasons, while the teams also met in the group stage in 2014/15.
Recent history favours the Catalans, and so does current form, with Unai Emery’s side having squandered the chance to top their group by drawing at home to Ludogorets of Bulgaria last week.
“If I could have chosen another team, I would have done,” admitted Paris director of football Patrick Kluivert, a former Barcelona striker.
Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre told beIN Sports Spain: “It is true that of the (possible) options Bayern Munich was possibly the strongest, with respect to the rest, but PSG are also a great team.
“There is no guarantee but it does give you a certain confidence to have beaten them before. Every game is different and we will see what happens.”
Reigning European champions Real Madrid will face Napoli as they look to win the trophy for a record 12th time, while Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City face a testing two-legged encounter against Monaco.
City, currently struggling for form, cannot afford to take the principality side lightly — they are the most prolific side in Europe’s leading leagues this season and have beaten Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League in the past two years.
English Premier League champions Leicester City will take on last season’s Europa League winners Sevilla as a reward for topping their group in their debut appearance in the competition, with a visit to the Sanchez Pizjuan in the first leg.
Atletico Madrid, runners up to city rivals Real in two of the last three seasons, were drawn against Bayer Leverkusen in a repeat of their clash at the same stage in 2014-15. On that occasion, Atletico emerged victorious after a tense penalty shoot-out.
Two-time winners Juventus were drawn against FC Porto, while Borussia Dortmund also face Portuguese opposition in the shape of Benfica.
The first legs will be played on February 14, 15, 21 and 22 with the second legs on March 7, 8, 14 and 15.
Meanwhile, Manchester United will take on Saint-Etienne in the last 32 of the Europa League, with Jose Mourinho’s side hosting the French club in the first leg, after yesterday’s draw.
The tie will see United and France midfielder Paul Pogba, the world’s most expensive player, come up against his elder brother Florentin, the Guinea international defender.
The teams met in the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup first round in 1977, with United winning 3-1 on aggregate.
On that occasion, United were forced to host the second leg in the southern English city of Plymouth, 450 kilometres away, following crowd trouble in the first leg in France.
Mourinho’s men finished second in Group A behind Fenerbahce while Saint-Etienne topped Group C.
The other English Premier League representative, Tottenham Hotspur, will face Gent of Belgium after being eliminated from the Champions League.
Villarreal of Spain will face Italian giants Roma in one of the standout ties, while Bundesliga club Borussia Moenchengladbach were drawn against Fiorentina of Italy.
The first legs will be played on February 16, with the return matches a week later.
The draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16
Man City v Monaco
Real Madrid v Napoli
Benfica v Borussia Dortmund
Bayern Munich v Arsenal
FC Porto v Juventus
Bayer Leverkusen v Atletico Madrid
PSG v Barcelona
Sevilla v Leicester
Ties to be played February 14/15 & 21/22 and March 7/8 & 14/15.
The draw for the UEFA Europa League round of 32
Athletic Bilbao v Apoel Nicosia
Legia Warsaw v Ajax
Anderlecht v Zenit St Petersburg
FC Astra Giurgiu v Genk
Man Utd v Saint Etienne
Villarreal v Roma
Ludogorets v FC Copenhagen
Celta Vigo v Shakhtar Donetsk
Olympiacos v Osmanlispor
AA Gent v Tottenham
Rostov v Sparta Prague
Krasnodar v Fenerbahce
Borussia M’gladbach v Fiorentina
AZ v Lyon
Hapoel Beer Sheva v Besiktas
PAOK Salonika v Schalke 04
Ties to be played February 16 and 23. — AFP.
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