Arsenal land dream draw as path to Budapest opens up

The Gunners will play Bayer Leverkusen before either Bodo/Glimt or Sporting should they reach the quarter-finals, while heavyweight clashes await three Premier League rivals

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

Arsenal have landed a dream Champions League draw and will not need to face a traditional heavyweight before the semifinals, while the five other English sides all face potentially daunting ties from the last 16 onwards.

Chelsea will play Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, while Manchester City will once again face Real Madrid, and Newcastle will take on Barcelona in a glamour draw as the knockout stage bracket was revealed yesterday. Liverpool drew Galatasaray while Tottenham were paired with Atletico Madrid.

Premier League leaders Arsenal, meanwhile, now have an excellent opportunity to go on a run in this season's competition and will play Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 before either Sporting or Norway's Bodo/Glimt, who will attempt to continue their fairytale run after knocking out last year's finalists Inter.

With six English teams taking their place in the last-16 draw, there could be a record number of Premier League sides in the quarterfinals after Chelsea and Newcastle, who could have faced each other, were handed ties against PSG and Barcelona respectively.

Chelsea's meeting with holders PSG will invoke memories of last summer's Club World Cup final, as the Blues produced a stunning performance to defeat the newly crowned Champions League winners in New Jersey.

The winner of that tie will face either Liverpool or Galatasaray in the quarterfinals. Arne Slot's side will return to Istanbul, following a 1-0 defeat early in the league phase, before hosting the Turkish side at Anfield in the second leg.