Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Arsenal, Champions League, Manchester City
Chris Byfield
Arsenal were graced with the easiest possible opponents while Manchester City were handed a nightmare draw when we did our Champions League simulator.
A powerhouse eight of Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid have made it through to the Champions League quarter-final, with a draw for the next rounds set to take place on Friday, March 15.
Names will be drawn for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final at a ceremony in Nyon, Switzerland.
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There will be no seeding, while from this stage onwards two sides from the same nation could meet in the two-legged last-eight ties.
Ahead of the draw we decided to simulate one of our own, and it has thrown up some interesting draws.
Arsenal, who are competing in the quarter-final stage of the competition for the first time in 14 years, have been drawn against Borussia Dortmund in the last eight, a side fourth in the Bundesliga, 20 points adrift of the league summit.
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Should they make it through they would play the winner of Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid, with the former having endured a history of disappointment in the competition and the latter fourth in La Liga, having won two of their last six games.
The other side of the draw sees Manchester City take on Barcelona, with Pep Guardiola returning to his former side.
However, the winner of that encounter would be on a collision course with the winner Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, two of Europe’s powerhouse.
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Our simulated draw looks like this:
Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund
Paris Saint-Germain vs Atletico Madrid
Manchester City vs Barcelona
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Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich
The quarter-final first legs will be played on April 9 and 10, with the second legs on April 16 and 17.
The first legs of the semi-finals will be held on April 30 and May 1, with the second legs a week later on May 7 and 8.