Arsenal have been drawn against Barcelona while PSG will face Chelsea in the Champions League last 16.
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Arsenal’s chances of making into the quarter finals of the Champions League have dropped dramatically following the draw, with Luis Enrique’s side the outright favourites to win this year’s trophy and become the first club to successful defender the Champions League title.
Chelsea, who are enduring a torrid time in the Premier League, will face Paris Saint-Germain in the knockout stages for the third year in succession.
Barcelona director Albert Soler certainly believes the tie will produce a feast of football.
City sporting director Txiki Begiristain said: “They are a strong side and play their football on the pitch”.
Barcelona said they are also expecting a hard tie. I think most Arsenal fans would have wanted to avoid them but it’s up to us to put on a performance.
Chelsea are a great team who have already won the Champions League.
But the big game is, once again, Arsenal against Barcelona, and that old story of how Arsenal beat a club who have long had the upper hand over them, on and off the pitch.
PSG came out as the victors last time round and, with the current form of the Premier League champions, it seems a really hard fixture for them.
“If you want to say it’s 50-50, then say it’s 50-50; I don’t know”.
Laurent Blanc’s side are 17 points clear near the halfway point of the campaign in France but Desailly, 47, does not consider the lack of competition on the domestic front a bad thing.
“We know what can happen if you have ten poor minutes on a European night”.
In other ties, PSV Eindhoven will take on Atletico Madrid and Benfica will be against Zenit St Petersburg.
Still, there was one fresh look in the eight pairings as the two newcomers to the knockout rounds were drawn together: Gent will host Wolfsburg first in Belgium.
“We’re well equipped. We proved last year that we were competitive – this year we’re even more so. We are improving and gaining experience in the competition so we hope to do well”.
Dynamo Kiev beat Manchester City in the 2010-11 Europa League last 16, with striker Mario Balotelli sent off for the English side.
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Arsenal’s scorer Olivier Giroud, left, Per Mertesacker wave to their fans after the Champions League Group F soccer match between Olympiakos and Arsenal at Georgios Karaiskakis stadium in Piraeus port, near Athens, Wedne…
