Who could we face in the Champions League?

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

The draw for the Semi-Finals also takes place on Friday, so the Gunners will soon have their potential road to Madrid mapped out.

After winning Group H Arsène Wenger's side suffered a 2-1 first-leg defeat in Porto in the First Knockout Round. But they reversed that with a 5-0 home win in the return fixture to secure a place in the Quarter-Finals.

There is no 'country protection' at this stage, so Arsenal have seven possible opponents.

Barcelona
With three European Cups to their name, holders Barcelona are the bookmakers' favourites to win this season's competition. They overcame Stuttgart in the previous round with a 4-0 home victory following a 1-1 draw in the first leg. Earlier in the tournament Barca topped Group F, which also feature Inter Milan. Pep Guardiola's side are currently level on points with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

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. They progressed to the Quarter-Finals on away goals after their clash with Fiorentina finished 4-4 on aggregate. The German side have four European Cups to their name and are currently top of the Bundesliga. 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.

Bordeaux
Bordeaux are making their first appearance in the Quarter-Finals since the European Cup was re-formatted as the Champions League. They topped Group A before knocking out Olympiacos at the round of 16. They won the first leg 1-0 and prevailed 2-1 in the second leg. Bordeaux are currently joint top of French Ligue 1 and hold a game in hand over the four clubs trailing them.

CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow reached the Quarter-Finals after beating Sevilla 3-2 on aggregate in the previous round. They finished runners-up in Group B earlier in the competition. Managed by Leonid Slutsky, the Russian side have just begun their 2010 domestic season. 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.

Inter Milan
Inter knocked out Chelsea in the last round after coming second in Group F. Jose Mourinho's side won the first leg at the San Siro 2-1 before registering a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. The Italians have only met Arsenal twice in competitive football with both games taking place 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.

Olympique Lyonnais
Lyon disposed of Real Madrid in the last 16 after following up a 1-0 home win with a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu. Lyon finished behind Fiorentina in Group E earlier in the competition, conceding just three goals in their six Group Stage games. They are currently fifth in their domestic league, trailing leaders Bordeaux by two points in a six-way title race.

Manchester United
Manchester United put seven past AC Milan over the two legs of their last 16 clash. Sir Alex Ferguson's side won the home leg 4-0 after registering a 3-2 victory at the San Siro. The Red Devils are in the hunt for a treble having already lifted this season's Carling Cup. They lead Arsenal by two points in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal.com will bring you details of the draw as soon as it is made on Friday.

The first leg of Arsenal's Quarter Final will be played on Tuesday 30 or Wednesday 31 March with the return leg the following week, on Tuesday 6 or Wednesday 7 April.

 

[Wednesday, March 17, 2010]

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