Gunners risk Barca tie
That the Gunners ended up needing to win their final match against Partizan Belgrade to progress to the first knockout round — after winning three matches on the trot at the start of Group H — is being blamed mainly on Arsene Wenger’s decision to rotate his squad before qualification was assured.
As Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid and last season’s beaten finalists Bayern Munich are potential opponents, Wenger will presumably hope for a pairing with Schalke, who finished above Lyon in Group B but find themselves languishing in 10th spot in the Bundesliga, having suffered seven defeats and struggling badly for consistency.
“We take what we get,” Wenger said. “The difficulty might be more or less but it is part of the draw.”
While Arsenal look ahead with trepidation, north London rivals Tottenham wait the outcome of a draw that will be jointly conducted by Bobby Charlton and Ronnie Whelan with relish.
Not only did Harry Redknapp’s side top a group containing Inter Milan, meaning they will avoid both the holders and Arsenal, they did so having become the first team to score at least twice in all six matches.
They could encounter Valencia, who had two closely-fought tussles with Manchester United but lack star quality since the departures of David Villa and David Silva, or Roma or Serie A leaders AC Milan.
However, Redknapp is presumably hoping for FC Copenhagen, who have become the first Danish side to reach the knockout stages.
The same will also be true of Manchester United — who like Tottenham could face French duo Marseille and Lyon — and Chelsea.
Real Madrid are among the favourites to lift the trophies, although given their recent five-goal mauling by Barcelona, they are clearly not the team to beat.
There is also plenty of British representation in the Europa League, with Liverpool, Manchester City and Rangers all going into the hat for the last 32.
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