Who can we draw in the Champions League?

Arsenal will discover the identity of their next Champions League opponents when the draw for the first knockout round takes place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland at 11am (UK time) on Friday.

After winning Group H, Arsène Wenger's team cannot face another group winner in the last 16. The rules of the draw dictate that they cannot face another club from the same football association at this stage of the competition or a team they faced in the group stage.

That leaves seven possible opponents for Arsenal:

Bayern Munich
Bayern were runners up in Group A, which also featured French champions Bordeaux and Italian outfit Juventus, who were dumped out of the competition.
Arsenal last faced Bayern in the 2004/05 Champions League last 16 but despite a 1-0 second-leg victory at Highbury the Gunners lost 3-2 on aggregate.

CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow reached the Knockout Stage of this season's Champions League by finishing runners up in Group B. They drew 3-3 against Manchester United, did the double over Besiktas and also defeated Wolfsburg at home to amass 10 points and earn their place in Friday's draw. Arsenal last played CSKA in the 2006/07 Group Stage. The Russians won their home leg 1-0 and earned a 0-0 draw at Emirates Stadium.

AC Milan
The seven-times European Cup winners completed Group C with nine points, four behind Real Madrid despite winning 3-2 at the Bernabeu. They also won in Marseille and picked up a point in Zurich. However they failed to win at home, drawing twice and losing to FC Zurich. The Italians last played Arsenal in the last 16 of the 2007/08 campaign. After a goalless draw at Emirates Stadium the Gunners defeated the then holders 2-0 at the San Siro to progress to the Quarter-Finals.

Inter Milan
Inter came second in Group F after picking up just one point against first-place Barcelona. The Italians have only met Arsenal twice in competitive football and both games were in the 2003/04 Champions League Group Stage. Inter won 3-0 in London but Arsenal stunned the San Siro with an incredible 5-1 away victory. The defeat was Inter's worst result on home soil in European football.

Porto
Porto were runners up to Chelsea in Group D this season after picking up four wins and just two defeats, both against the Stamford Bridge side. Arsenal met Porto in last season's Champions League Group Stage and defeated the Portuguese champions 4-0 at Emirates Stadium but with qualification already assured they lost 2-0 at the Estádio do Dragão.

Lyon
Lyon finished third in French Ligue 1 last season and finished behind Fiorentina in Champions League Group E. They picked up four points against Liverpool and conceded just three goals in their six Group Stage games. They are currently fourth in their domestic league, trailing leaders Bordeaux by eight points.

Stuttgart
Stuttgart picked up nine points to finish second in Group G but their only victories came away at Rangers and at home to Unirea Urziceni. The German outfit last played Arsenal in a friendly in 2008. The Gunners won the game 3-1 with second-half goals from Carlos Vela, Nicklas Bendtner and Jack Wilshere.

The first leg of Arsenal's next Champions League tie will take place away from home on February 16, 17, 23 or 24. The second leg at Emirates Stadium will take place on March 9, 10, 16 or 17

Stay close to Arsenal.com on Friday for news and reaction from the Champions League draw.

[Thursday, December 17, 2009]

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