ARSENAL face the formidable challenge of holders Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Gunners, who memorably clinched a place in the knockout stages with victory at Olympiacos last week, were handed arguably the toughest task when the draw for the next round was made at Uefa headquarters in Nyon yesterday.
Their Barclays Premier League rivals Chelsea were also handed a difficult assignment as they were paired with Paris St Germain for the third year in succession.
By contrast, Manchester City will be happier with their draw against Dynamo Kiev – but there was a notable downside for their supporters as the game in Ukraine must be played behind closed doors.
Kiev were were hit with a two-game stadium closure last month for the misbehaviour of their fans, which included racist chanting.
City are hoping to to reach the quarter-finals for the first time, having been knocked out by Barcelona in the last 16 for the past two seasons.
Arsenal this time face the mighty Catalans and they will need to overcome their own poor record against the side from the Nou Camp to progress.
Arsene Wenger’s men were well beaten by Barcelona, 6-3 and 5-2 on aggregate, in 2010 and 2011 respectively, while they also lost to them in the 2006 final in Paris.
Arsenal secretary David Miles said: “It’s not going to be easy and it’s the team that most Arsenal fans would have wanted to avoid at this stage, but it’s up to us to make a good fist of it.
“We’ve got our own world-class players and certainly we’ll go in for this.
“It should be two fantastic games and we’re very much looking forward to it.”
Barcelona said they are also expecting a difficult tie. Technical secretary Robert Fernandez, currently in Japan for the Club World Cup, said: “It’s an open and difficult tie. They have a very good team, magnificent players and play good football. We’ll enjoy it.
“It’s a very attractive tie for football and for the spectator. They have a similar football philosophy to ours, they like to attack and to have the ball.”
Barcelona will travel to the Emirates for the first leg on February 23 before hosting Arsene Wenger’s side at the Nou Camp on March 16.
Chelsea also know their opponents well, having beaten PSG en route to the 2014 semi-finals but lost to them in March in a last 16 tie overshadowed by a racist incident involving fans on the Paris Metro.
PSG defender Thiago Silva expects Jose Mourinho’s side to prove harder opponents than they were last year, despite their domestic struggles.
He said: “I think it will be tougher this season than last year. We know the Chelsea players well and we know they will give everything to get past the last 16 – but so will we.”
PSG manager Laurent Blanc is excited by the prospect of taking on the London side again.
“We cannot wait to be there, even if we know that this is still a bit far, in February,” he said.
“The schedule will be very tight, I hope that everyone will be healthy to face Chelsea and fulfil our objectives.”
City, meanwhile, will be pleased to have avoided the French giants, who looked to be the most dangerous of the sides that qualified as group runners-up.
City, who won their group for the first time, last faced Kiev in the Europa League in 2011. That tie is best remembered for the involvement of Mario Balotelli, who suffered an allergic reaction to the grass in the first leg and was sent off in the second.
Kiev finished second to Chelsea in their group and are coached by former Tottenham striker Sergey Rebrov.
City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “It’s going to be difficult for us but the most important thing is that we show we’re improving in this competition and we’ll fight to get to the quarters.”
Rebrov said: “City are a solid and well-balanced team but we have already played against them and enjoyed success.
“Everyone has weak points. Our job is to find them. It will be a busy time in the Premier League then. Clubs will play twice a week and this also will be significant.”
Bayern Munich were handed a tough-looking draw against Juventus, while Real Madrid will also face Italian opposition in Roma.
Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven, the two sides that qualified at Manchester United’s expense, were paired with Ghent and Atletico Madrid respectively.
The other tie in the round sees two-time winners Benfica come up against Zenit St Petersburg.
Champions League: Who the Premier League teams face:
Arsenal v Barcelona
Arsene Wenger’s side have again paid the price for not topping their group by drawing the holders. The Gunners have not made it past the round of 16 for the past five years and come up against the Catalans’ fearsome attacking triumvirate.
In Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, Luis Enrique’s side have the most potent strike-force on the continent, with only the former Liverpool man not on the three-man shortlist for the Ballon D’Or.
Their defence shipped just four goals in getting out of Group E in top spot. Barcelona won their last meeting at this stage in 2011 and the Primera Division leaders also beat Arsenal in the 2006 final.
Chelsea v Paris St Germain
Jose Mourinho will lead his struggling side into a game against Ligue 1’s dominant outfit for a third successive year, having lost in
extra-time in the round of 16 last season.
The year before, the Blues won by away goals to reach the semi-finals, but Laurent Blanc’s side have only lost once all season and that was at Real Madrid.
They top Ligue 1 by 17 points already, but that defeat in Spain was costly as they finished second in Group A.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains the obvious dangerman and he has already notched 14 times this season.
Manchester City v Dynamo Kiev
On paper this is by far the easiest task for the trio of Premier League clubs left in the Champions League, but Sergei Rebrov will be hoping his side can upset the odds. Second in the Ukrainian league, Kiev finished runners-up to Chelsea in Group G, but a win away in Porto shows they are not to be taken lightly.
The first-leg meeting at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev will be played behind closed doors as punishment for racist behaviour by the Ukrainian side’s fans.
Winger Andriy Yarmolenko is certainly a player who could hurt City, who are looking to get past this stage for the first time.
