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Arsenal's next Champions League opponents will be revealed when the draw for the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals of the competition is made in Nyon on Friday.
Arsène Wenger's side reached the last eight with a 2-0 aggregate victory against the defending European champions, AC Milan. They are one of four English clubs in the Quarter-Finals after Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool also advanced.
No team in the draw will be seeded and sides from the same country can play each other. The strong Premier League contingent means there is a 43 per cent chance that Arsenal will play English opposition. Their other possible opponents are Schalke, Roma, Fenerbahce or Barcelona, who beat Arsenal in the 2006 Final and now have former Gunners captain Thierry Henry in their ranks.
Friday's draw begins at 12pm (UK time) and will be conducted by UEFA General Secretary, David Taylor, together with the ambassador for the Final in Moscow on May 21, former Russia goalkeeper Rinat Dasaev. The Semi-Final pairings will also be drawn on Friday.
The Quarter-Final first legs will be played on April 1 and 2 with the return matches on April 8 and 9.
Chelsea
Chelsea
Chelsea’s progress from the last 16 was far from assured after a tricky trip to Greece, but the Blues blew away Olympiakos 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in the second leg. This Quarter-Final berth is their third in the last four seasons. The Londoners have responded well to the departure of Jose Mourinho in September, but recent failures in domestic cup competition have put pressure on Avram Grant. In Europe, Chelsea eased through the group stages, finishing top of the group. Frank Lampard is widely admired by Europe’s elite clubs and four goals in a recent Premier League match speaks volumes about his quality. Ahead of him, the Blues have one of the finest strike forces around - Didier Drogba, Andri Shevchenko (scorer of 59 Champions League goals) and Nicolas Anelka all boast match-winning credentials.
Manchester United
Manchester United
Manchester United are a major force and with Cristiano Ronaldo, the continent'’ best player, the Red Devils will provide a stern test for any opponent. United eased into the knockout rounds with five wins out of six in the group stage and showed a battling quality in their two-legged defeat of Lyon. Sir Alex Ferguson’s outfit are part of an engrossing title chase on home soil and will be keen to go one further than last year’s Champions League Semi-Final exit at the hands of AC Milan. Adding Carlos Tevez, plus the youth of Nani and Anderson, over the summer gave greater depth to their squad — a fact that could prove vital between now and the end of the season.
Liverpool
Liverpool
A record of two finals in the last three years says everything about Liverpool. Champions of Europe on five occasions, the Merseysiders’ domestic status is the only thing stopping them being a major force in the game. They currently lie fourth in the Premier League, well adrift of the pace, but abroad they ooze class. A far from convincing group campaign, plus arguably the toughest of opponents in the first knockout stage, led many to believe that it would be a trophyless season at Anfield. However Liverpool dominated proceedings throughout against Inter Milan and in Fernando Torres they have one of the best strikers in the business. Effortlessly linking up with Steven Gerarrd, Torres looks well worth the £20 million-plus that Rafa Benitez paid for him.
Roma
Roma
Roma were perhaps the least fancied of the Italian sides when this season’s competition started. However with both Milan clubs dumped out by English opposition in the previous round and Lazio failing to navigate their way through the group stages, it leaves i Lupi (the Wolves) as a sole representative from the home of the world champions. Managed by Luciano Spalletti, Roma currently lie second in Serie A, six points adrift of runaway leaders Inter. They negotiated their way through a tricky group, finishing second behind Manchester United, before ending Real Madrid’s hopes with successive 2-1 victories. Ludovic Giuly will be well known to Arsenal fans after his role in the 2006 Champions League showpiece, and with Francesco Totti and Mirko Vucinic providing more attacking threat, Roma should not be taken lightly.
Fenerbahce
Fenerbahce
The surprise conquerors of Sevilla in the previous round, Fenerbahce are in the Quarter-Finals on merit. The Turks are led by of the game’s greats, Zico, and are at this stage for the first time in their history. They finished second in their group, behind Inter, registering an impressive tally of 11 points, and were unbeaten on home soil. Domestically they are embroiled in a fascinating title race in which just one point separates the top four — they sit third. In their midst they boast a Champions League winner in Roberto Carlos, plus former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman and the competition’s leading assister Alex (six).
Schalke
Schalke
FC Schalke’s haul of just eight points from their six group stage games was the lowest of any side to progress in this season’s competition. Chelsea topped theor group, but Valencia were the bookies’ favourite to take second spot. Schalke’s appearance in the competition this term is their third in the last 10 years, put progress to the last eight surpasses any previous achievement. Success in Europe seems to have taken its toll on the domestic stage as Die Knappen (The Miners) lie fifth, some 12 points short of top spot. Former Rangers star Peter Lovenkrands forms part a well-oiled strike force — Kevin Kuranyi and Gerald Asamoah are the others.
Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona need no introduction. Conquerors of the Gunners at the 2006 final, the Catalan giants are tipped to repeat their success of two years ago. A meek surrender of the title last season gives them added incentive to achieve this, and while they trail Real Madrid by eight points in La Liga, the Champions League represents a very real chance of silverware. Barcelona won an impressive 14 points from their six group stage fixtures and comfortably dispatched Celtic in their first knockout tie. Some extravagant spending in the summer has not quite bore the fruit many would have expected but with Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry in their ranks, Frank Rijkaard’s side offer arguably the best squad, on paper, of those in the last eight.
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