How Arsenal face nightmare path to Champions League final but dream route could open up for Mikel Arteta
ARSENAL could face a nightmare path to the Champions League final after Real Madrid beat Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta‘s side were one of eight teams to automatically qualify for the Round of 16.
That means they did not have to take part in the play-off stage over the last two weeks which saw City dumped out by Real Madrid.
Both those sides were picked out of the hat on the same side of the draw as Arsenal, so the Gunners could meet Real in the quarter-final.
First they will have to get past PSV Eindhoven or Feyenoord, who won their respective play-off clashes against Juventus and AC Milan.
Real Madrid are the toughest team Arsenal could face in the quarter-final, with Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen other potential opponents at that stage.
If Arsenal progress past one of those teams they could come up against Premier League title rivals Liverpool.
The Gunners may hope the Reds lose along the way, although Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain could await if Arne Slot‘s side are knocked out.
Alternatively, there is a chance Arsenal could face Lille in the semis – that would be their easiest opponent on paper at least.
By contrast Liverpool have an easier set of fixtures up until the semi-final, with PSG and Borussia Dortmund arguably the most difficult teams they could potentially face.
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Liverpool could face PSG in the next round after they beat Brest, or Benfica following their narrow victory over Monaco.
Aston Villa were pulled out on the same side of the draw as Liverpool and could face Club Brugge or Dortmund in the Round of 16 after those two sides progressed through the play-offs.