Barcelona draw Manchester City, Arsenal to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16

As we know reach the knock-out stages of the Champions League, and the round of 16, we are getting an idea of who will progress into the quarter-finals. In today’s draw at UEFA’s Switzerland headquarters, some stellar ties were drawn out of the hat for pundits to get their teeth into ahead of the games next month.

Manchester City are part of possibly the biggest tie of the round. They face Spanish giants FC Barcelona, in a two-legged tie that could cause a huge shock if Manuel Pellegrini’s side pull off another famous victory. Few can be expecting the Citizens to get past the Spanish champions, but who’s to say if they managed it, that they couldn’t go on and win the whole competition?

Meanwhile, Premier League leaders Arsenal have also been dealt a tough hand. They are set to face German champions Bayern Munich, and much as Manchester City’s tie, few are expecting them to progress past Pep Guardiola’s side. The Gunners also had this tie in last season’s competition, and went out on away goals despite winning at the Allianz Arena.

Chelsea fans will have the strange experience of seeing their idol Didier Drogba line up at Stamford Bridge once again… for Galatasaray. The Turkish side have been drawn against José Mourinho’s side, and Roberto Mancini will take his players to London for the second leg, as they try and progress against the Pensioners. However, Chelsea have to be favourites for this one, despite the quality of some of the players that Gala possess.

Manchester United have been dealt the easiest draw of all the English clubs, as they will face Greek side Olympiakos, who they will expect to beat despite the Red Devils’ league position. David Moyes will take his side to Athens first, before the Greek champions come to England for the second leg. The United manager will have been glad to see his side drawn against one of the easier options, to ensure an early Champions League exit is not likely.

In the other four ties, AC Milan will play Atlético Madrid in what is sure to be a high-quality and competitive tie, and one which Diego Simeone will hope to progress from past the Italian giants. Bayer Leverkusen play French champions Paris Saint-Germain in their tie, another which will be one to look, with high-quality players on each side. Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid have been drawn to play Bundesliga side Schalke in one of the other games, and the side containing Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo will believe they have a massive chance of qualification. Finally, Borussia Dortmund have to make a trip to Russia to face Zenit St Petersburg, and Jürgen Klopp will hope to progress after reaching the final of this competition last campaign.