On-form Manchester City were handed the toughest possible draw on Monday when they were paired with Spanish giants Barcelona in the plum tie of the last 16 of the Uefa Champions League.
Champions Bayern Munich were also given a hard draw as they plucked Arsenal for the second year in a row at this stage.
For the English pair, who both finished second in their groups, it was yet again a harsh lesson in the importance of winning the group.
Manchester United and Chelsea, both group winners, were given far more favourable draws against Olympiakos and Galatasaray respectively. In fairness to Arsenal and City, they did have the toughest possible groups facing one each of last season’s finalists.
City came within a single goal of beating Bayern to top spot in their group when a 3-2 win in Munich was one goal short of what they needed to overhaul the Bavarians.
Manuel Pellegrini, the Manchester City coach, famously made a mathematical error in the final group match, not realising that one more goal at Bayern would have seen his side top the group and be seeded for the draw, but the club’s director of football Txiki Begiristain – formerly of Barcelona – said the team is brimming with confidence.”
Arsenal were within minutes of winning their group despite losing 2-0 at Napoli on the final match-day but Borussia Dortmund’s late winner in Marseille allowed them to snatch top spot there.
Last season Arsenal drew Bayern in the last 16 and seemed to be as good as out when they lost the first leg 3-1 at the Emirates. But they came within a whisker of making the quarter-finals when taking the second leg 2-0 at the Allianz Arena, going out only on away goals.
Philipp Lahm, the Bayern captain, was quite glum over the draw. “It was the hardest draw among the second-placed teams,” he said. “Arsenal are certainly not a team you’d hope to face.”
The Olympiakos coach, Michel, did not sound confident of causing an upset against United.
“We like the idea of going to play at Old Trafford; it is a nice destination for our fans,” he said. They will be two tough matches.”
French giants Paris Saint-Germain pulled Bayer Leverkusen and coach Laurent Blanc seemed quite satisfied, saying: “It could have been more difficult but all the matches are difficult.”
AC Milan’s sporting director Umberto Gandini was cautiously optimistic after being drawn with high-flying Spanish side Atletico Madrid. “Atletico are a very dangerous team going forward but it could have been a worse draw for us, that’s for sure,” he said.
Last year’s semi-finalists Real will play Schalke.
Real’s director Emilio Butragueno was wary given that the Madrid giants were knocked out in the semi-finals by Bayern and Dortmund in the last two seasons.
“It is true that in theory there were stronger rivals, but that is only in theory,” he said. “We know that we have always found it tough against German teams, it has been very difficult for us to win in Germany.”
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