The Champions League has been full of upsets over the years, with teams crashing out of the competition in dramatic circumstances.
Arsenal will be looking to avoid a similar fate as Mikel Arteta looks to land silverware in Europe to end a barren spell without a trophy.
It comes as the Gunners hold quite the advantage in the round of 16, with Arsenal beating PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in the first leg.
The second leg at the Emirates Stadium has little jeopardy as a result, though an early goal for the visitors may change things.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the top five biggest comebacks in Champions League history and what it means for Arsenal.
Top five biggest Champions League comebacks
5 – Manchester United vs PSG – 2018/19
Losing a home leg first in the Champions League makes a tie astronomically harder as teams must travel to the away leg at a huge disadvantage.
In the Champions League era, no away side in the second leg has managed to comeback from a first-leg defeat of greater than two-goals.
One of the most memorable in that category of away sides turning around a tie is Manchester United’s clash with PSG.
While the French side turned up at Old Trafford and won 2-0, they fell to a 3-1 defeat at home and lost the tie on away goals.
It remains the biggest margin for an away side to fight back from and win in the second leg.
4 – AC Milan vs Deportivo La Coruna – 2003/04
In the quarter-finals of the 2003/04 Champions League season, AC Milan seemed destined to make the final four of the competition.
The Italian side registered a 4-1 win at the San Siro, taking a healthy three-goal lead with them to Spain in the second leg.
Deportivo La Coruna were hopeful of a miraculous revival in the second leg and they got just that as goals from Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valeron, Albert Luque and Fran Gonzalez secured one of the most memorable comebacks in the competition’s history.
3 – Barcelona vs AS Roma – 2017/18
Another three-goal turnaround came in the 2017/18 season as Barcelona beat AS Roma 4-1 at the Camp Nou to put one foot in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
There was a surprise in store at the Stadio Olimpico though, as goals from Edin Dzeko, Daniele De Rossi and Kostas Manolas helped secure a late win for Roma on away goals.
2 – Barcelona vs Liverpool – 2018/19
Just one year after Barcelona’s heartbreak in Rome, they were looking to hold onto a commanding lead as they beat Liverpool 3-0 at the Camp Nou.
Having denied Liverpool from scoring in the first leg, the Blaugrana simply had to score once at Anfield to swing the advantage even further in their favour.
They failed to though as goal after goal came raining in from the Reds, who ended up winning 4-0 in one of the most memorable encounters.
1 – PSG vs Barcelona – 2016/17
Three successive campaigns saw dramatic comebacks in Barcelona matches, though, in 2016/17, it went the way of the Spanish giants.
PSG took a 4-0 lead in the tie but were under the cosh as they went on to lose 6-1 at the Camp Nou.
It remains the biggest comeback in Champions League history, one that is yet to be usurped.
Champions League comeback history is good news for Arsenal
The biggest-ever comeback in Champions League history has been from a four-goal deficit, which in itself was a huge turnaround.
For Arsenal, their six-goal lead against PSV should be enough to hold onto, regardless of where the match is played.
Add in the fact that an away side in the second leg has only ever come back from a two-goal deficit and it shows the advantage the Gunners have.
With the Champions League being their biggest shot at silverware this season, Arsenal will be keen to enter the history books for all the right reasons and not the wrong ones.
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