Arsenal provided business in the competition phase of the Champions League 2024-25, but the hard work is now starting.
The Mikel Arteta team took 19 points of a possible 24 to finish third of 36 teams, with only three goals in the process. That ensured that they went directly to the round of 16, avoiding a potential play-off exit such as the kind of Befell Premier League Rivals Manchester City.
However, it becomes more difficult here. If Arsenal won the competition of this season, they must come through three two -legged tires for the final in Munich on 31 May.
There are no easy paths to glory, but some routes are certainly easier than others. Here Mirror Football looks at the best and sausage-case scenarios for Arteta and his team.
Arsenal knows that they will be confronted with PSV Eindhoven or Feyenoord in the round of 16. About 12 points are free from their countrymen in the Eredivisie, but that is not the only reason that a meeting with Feyenoord would be preferred for Artetas side.
A meeting with the Rotterdam side would leave the Gunners in the nominal easier half of the draw, with one of Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid awaiting the quarterfinals. Bayern hit Arsenal from last season's competition, but worked beyond Celtic in the play-off round, and yet a Leverkusen side is nine points underneath in the Bundesliga perhaps the easiest option.
Arsenal's reaching the two would run the risk of a semi -final against Liverpool or Barcelona, but an early output for one of the two could open things. It would mean a potential meeting with Benfica, Borussia Dortmund and Lille, with the French side the lowest ranked of the three based on the UEFA's club coefficient system.
Remember what we said about the difference between Feyenoord and PSV. Well, apart from the immediate danger – and let's not forget that PSV is the only team that Liverpool is beating in Europe this period – it would keep Real Madrid on hold as a potential quarter -final opponents.
If things go, it would be expected that the winner of Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool or Barcelona Aston Villa, Lille or Club Brugge would overcome to make the Semir. PSG looks a much better side than those of Arsenal early in the competition phase, while Liverpool and Barcelona are Liverpool and Barcelona.
There is not much to choose between Liverpool and Barcelona in Europe. From nothing more than a stress perspective, a two-legged semi against Liverpool sounds followed by a potential title decision maker at Anfield sounds almost the house.
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