Nyon , December 14 : Arsenal have been drawn against the European champions Barcelona in the last-16 of the Champions League. Chelsea also face a tough opponent in Paris Saint-Germain, the third season in succession they have met in the knockout stages.
Manchester City, who like Chelsea topped their group, are set to meet Dynamo Kyiv. The Ukrainian club will play their home tie without a crowd as punishment for the racist behaviour of some fans during their draw with Chelsea in the group stage.
Barcelona, the tournament favourites, knocked Arsenal out of the competition in 2010 (winning 5-2 on aggregate) and 2011 (6-3), and also beat them in the 2006 Champions League final in Paris, Arsenal’s best run in the competition.
Last season’s beaten finalists, Juventus, will be up against Bayern Munich in another intriguing match while the other Serie A qualifiers, Roma, also have a tough route to the quarter-finals as they will meet Real Madrid.
The champions of Portugal and Russia, Benfica and Zenit Saint Petersburg, have been paired together while the Belgian side Gent will meet Wolfsburg.
Group winners will be playing away matches first in the round of 16 on 16/17 and 23/24 respectively and will play their return leg at home on 8/9 and 15/16 March.