Arsenal have just won their eighth consecutive game in the Champions League and have finished the league phase as the table toppers.
Mikel Arteta’s men have beaten Kairat from Almaty in their final league phase game, and along with seven other teams, they will now go straight into the round of 16.
Teams that have finished between ninth and 24th in the Champions League table will play two knockout games in February, and that will determine who Arsenal’s next opponents will be.
As things stand, it could be one of four clubs.
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Who could Arsenal face in the Champions League round of 16?
Arsenal have found themselves in the best possible position in the Champions League right now.
The Gunners now have an easy February, where they will play just five games. Only four of those will be in the Premier League.
As they rest and recover, Arsenal players and their manager, Arteta, can sit at home and find out who their opponents will be in the round of 16.
The official draw is scheduled to take place on January 30, but as things stand, four teams are in contention to face the Gunners in the next stage.
Those are the clubs that finished 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th in the league phase table – Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and Olympiacos.
Atalanta and Leverkusen are set to face each other in the knockout stages, and Dortmund and Olympiacos will do the same.
One of the two winners will face Arsenal in the round of 16, while the other will come up against Bayern Munich.
Who do you want Arsenal to face next in the Champions League?
Arsenal have a huge advantage in the Champions League
Arsenal and Bayern Munich are best placed to go all the way in the Champions League this season.
The fact that they are the two best clubs in the world right now is one reason, but after finishing first and second in the league phase, they have been handed a huge advantage.
Arsenal and Bayern will now play their second leg games in the round of 16, as well as in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, should they get there, at home.
That could make a serious difference in the latter stages of the competition and make the road to reaching the final slightly easier.
It remains to be seen if Arsenal can use that to their advantage in the coming months.
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