Arsenal’s route to Champions League glory could not be any tougher should the simulated draw come true on Friday.
The Gunners are heading to the last eight of the competition after a tense victory over Porto on Tuesday night. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Portugal, Mikel Arteta’s men piled on the pressure from the outset and tied the scores on aggregate just before the break thanks to Leandro Trossard’s neat finish.
Martin Odegaard thought he had won it in normal time when he chipped the ball into an empty net only for the goal to be ruled out for a foul in the build-up. After a nervy extra-time, penalties were needed to separate the two teams.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made himself the hero in the shootout, saving two spot-kicks as the Gunners won 4-2 on penalties. The result means the North London club are in the hat for tomorrow’s draw alongside; PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Unlike the round of 16 draw, the Gunners will discover their quarter-final and potential semi-final opponents when UEFA conducts proceedings at 11am (UK time). Ahead of the official draw, football.london simulated our own to discover what Arsenal’s path could be.
Unfortunately for Arteta, our draw pitted Arsenal against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals with the first leg taking place at the Emirates Stadium with the all-important second leg being at the Bernabeu. Should they be victorious in the last eight, the Gunners were drawn to face the winner of PSG and Atletico Madrid with the second leg of that tie taking place at either the Emirates Stadium or the Bernabeu.
READ MORE: Wright names Arsenal player Champions League rivals will target
READ MORE: Saliba’s wild reaction to Champions League win caught on camera
Full simulated Champions League quarter-final and semi-final draw
Quarter-finals
Arsenal vs Real Madrid
Manchester City vs Barcelona
PSG vs Atletico Madrid
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich
Semi-finals
Borussia Dortmund/Bayern Munich vs Manchester City/Barcelona
PSG/Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal/Real Madrid
Want to keep up to date with the breaking and important Arsenal stories whilst on the move? Well now you can!
Click this link to follow the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel, where you’ll be kept up to date on the latest Gunners news wherever you are.
Just remember to turn on the notifications once you’ve followed, and you won’t miss a beat!
