Best & worst outcomes for Arsenal and Man City ahead of Champions League draw

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Man City are looking to retain their Champions League crown (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
Man City are looking to retain their Champions League crown (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Manchester City and Arsenal will be part of a heavyweight Champions League draw as Europe's top competition reaches the business end.

Each of the eight quarter-finalists have a strong European pedigree with the Gunners recently rejoining the continent's top table after years away. Their dramatic success over Porto means their young side continues to develop and will mix it with European aristocrats like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

City meanwhile have become regulars in the latter stages - making at least the last four in each of the last three years before they claimed Champions League glory last year. Pep Guardiola's side have carried themselves impressively with the champion tag by no means weighing them down.

They made light work of Copenhagen, which they were always expected to do, in the last 16. The Premier League champions will be among the teams everyone else wants to avoid, but even they themselves will have teams they'd rather not be paired with on Friday.

Man City's best-case scenario

It is difficult to label any team as the outfit you'd want to face. Without doing much you've handed one team some serious motivation - and they'll feed off that. Among the remaining eight though the team that could be identified as the most beatable would be Borussia Dortmund.

Pep Guardiola went back on his word after blocking last-ditch Barcelona transfer qhiqqhiqhuiekinvPep Guardiola went back on his word after blocking last-ditch Barcelona transfer

If you go off league form alone, the German giants are placed as low in their domestic league than any other team - albeit Atletico Madrid also sit fourth in La Liga. Dortmund though are far less than gritty to face than the Spanish side, who are known for their confrontational nature.

Best & worst outcomes for Arsenal and Man City ahead of Champions League drawJadon Sancho and Borussia Dortmund beat PSV to make the last eight (Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Worst-case scenario

Real Madrid are seen as the only team who can stop City with many hoping the two teams to battle in the final. They've faced in the past two semi-finals and, although Guardiola's side hammered them last term, Los Blancos are a very different outfit this term.

Jude Bellingham is leading their charge whilst Vinicius Jnr is never far from a moment of magic. Arsenal too are unlikely to be high on City's priority list. Domestic encounters in Europe always carry a bit more weight with familiarity playing a factor and Guardiola won't want their Premier League tussle to filter into the Champions League.

Arsenal's best-case scenario

Much like City, Arsenal may well see Dortmund as the most beatable team still in the Champions League. There's no doubt that some of Europe's heavyweight names are not the teams they once were, but they still possess quality and know how in the competition.

Despite being five-time winners Arsenal could well relish an opportunity to face Barcelona. Last term the Spanish giants dropped into the Europa League and were beaten by Manchester United. A year on and they look poised to relinquish their La Liga crown with a new manager needed.

Worst case scenario

Facing City or Real is likely to be low on their list. The European champions are beginning to click into gear as we approach the business end of the season whilst Madrid just have that special something in the Champions League, which we've seen year on year.

Best & worst outcomes for Arsenal and Man City ahead of Champions League drawHarry Kane's Bayern Munich remain a threat (Getty Images)

Another team who've had Arsenal's number in the past is Bayern Munich. The last time these two met the Germans won 5-1 at the Emirates. Add to that the Harry Kane factor and Arteta would rather avoid. The narrative of having an ex-Tottenham man ended their European dream is a nightmare for Arsenal fans.

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Samuel Meade

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