There was a sense of celebration and jubilation among Arsenal fans on Tuesday when their beloved club finished at the top of their UCL group for the first time in five seasons. As per the permutations, teams that finish top of the group tend to face ‘weaker’ opponents at the last round of 16.
Finishing second, on the other hand, leads to a ‘tougher’ opponent in the knockout phase of the competition, a fate that no other team has encountered better than the Gunners in the UCL. But it seems that the curse of being knocked out at the last round of 16 could follow the Emirates outfit once again this season, considering the kind of opponents they will most likely face when the draw will be conducted in Nyon, Switzerland next Monday.
Following the 4-1 over Basel, and PSG 2-2 draw with Ludogorets, the Gunners took charge of Group A
Arsenal qualify for the round of 16 as Group A winners. #UCL pic.twitter.com/FaABmqsPUg
— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 6, 2016
As of now, Wenger’s men could face any of these five teams – Benfica, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Sevilla, Porto or Real Madrid. But this list could also include other teams based on various factors.
Some of the surest opponents for the Gunners are Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen or Bayern Munich. These three clubs are guaranteed to finish second in their respective groups.
List of teams Arsenal can draw in the round of 16:
— ㅤ (@ArseHQ) December 6, 2016
Benfica
Bayern Munich
Bayer Leverkusen
Dortmund/Real Madrid
Porto
Juventus/Sevilla
Another possible scenario includes teams that are most likely to be runners’ up in their group based on the results on Wednesday. As of now, both Porto, Juventus, Lyon, Borussia Dortmund and FC Copenhagen could finish second in their group. But the good news is that the Gunners will avoid facing their perennial UCL nightmare, Barcelona, who have already won their group ahead of Man City.
Based on these statistics, a majority of Arsenal fans are realizing that indeed, there is no easy route to the UCL title. For the North Londoners to win this title for the first time in their history, they must get rid of the fear of facing a strong team by boosting their winning mentality. But for as long as they continue dodging Europe’s top guns, fate will always have a way of scheduling a meeting between the two sides later in the competition.
Here are some of the reactions to the possibility of Arsenal facing Bayern, the same team that knocked them out of the competition in 2013 and 2014.
When Arsenal win Group A and inevitably get drawn with Group D runner-up Bayern in Round of 16 pic.twitter.com/E4ZpHsUM7y
— Sam's Army (@BarstoolSam) December 6, 2016
If Arsenal finishes top in their group , they will get Bayern in next round.
— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) December 6, 2016
If they finish 2nd in group, they will get Barca in next round
When Arsenal still get Bayern Munich is the Champions League Last 16 even after finishing 1st https://t.co/P8UOwvgGzt
— Elijah Oyefeso (@itsoezz) December 6, 2016
When Arsenal finish top of their CL group and then come up against Bayern Munich/Real Madrid pic.twitter.com/oPbQ6lwFLH
— Ben (@CaIvinCIyne) December 6, 2016
When Arsenal top the group but still get Bayern or Real Madrid. https://t.co/OUh1VvgggT
— Not Match of the Day (@NOT_MOTD) December 6, 2016
It will be the most Arsenal thing in the world for them to top the group and now get Bayern in the last 16.
— Coral (@Coral) December 6, 2016
When you finally finish top of your group and could still draw Bayern or Real Madrid in the last 16#Arsenal #UCL pic.twitter.com/rhpckL8IuH
— Ladbrokes (@Ladbrokes) December 6, 2016
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