Tough draw ahead for Arsenal?

Arsenal are set to finish second in their Champions League group for the fifth consecutive season after Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates Stadium.

The two sides are level on points at the top of Group A but the French giants have a superior head-to-head record, meaning Arsenal’s slim hopes of finishing first now rest on Ludogorets causing an upset at the Parc des Princes next month.

Arsene Wenger admitted his side are 90 per cent certain to go through as runners-up in his post-match press conference, but what would it mean for their last 16 prospects?

As it stands, a second place finish could pit Arsenal against Barcelona, Atletico Madrid or Monaco. The rest of the groups are yet to be decided, but their other possible opponents would include Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund, Juventus or Sevilla, and Napoli, Benfica or Besiktas.

If there is an unlikely twist in Group A and Arsenal end up finishing top, their possible opponents in the last-16 would include Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Porto. Wenger’s men would be eager to avoid Carlo Ancelotti’s side, but it already looks like the easier draw.

It leaves Arsenal facing the prospect of another challenging route to the quarter-finals. The Gunners have been knocked out of the competition at the last-16 stage in each of the last six seasons, with second-place group stage finishes costing them dearly. As history threatens to repeat itself, we look back at their recent record…

2011 – Barcelona (4-3 on aggregate)

Robin van Persie and Andrey Arshavin struck twice in the final 12 minutes of the first leg at the Emirates to snatch a remarkable victory for Arsenal, after David Villa had given Barcelona a first-half lead. The eventual champions hit back in the second leg, though – with the help of a harsh red card for Van Persie.

Messi had levelled the tie in first-half injury time but the advantage was with Arsenal when Sergio Busquets headed the ball into his own net – the Gunners’ only shot on target in the whole game.

However, just three minutes later – and with 34 minutes still to play – Van Persie was shown a second yellow for shooting at goal after the referee had blown for offside. Barcelona made the extra man count, with a strike from Xavi and a Messi penalty sending the Spanish side through.

Wenger said: “[The red card] killed a promising, fantastic match. If it’s a bad tackle, OK, but frankly it is embarrassing. I’m convinced we would have won this game. Two kinds of people will be unhappy – those who love Arsenal, and those who love the game.”

2012 – AC Milan (4-3 on aggregate)

A 4-0 hammering at AC Milan – described by Wenger as Arsenal’s “worst night in …

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