Arsenal to battle Bayern in Champions League Q/finals
Arsenal have been drawn against Bayern Munich and former Tottenham striker Harry Kane in their first UEFA Champions League quarter-final since 2010.
The rest of the draw saw holders Manchester City drawn against Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain facing Barcelona, while Atletico Madrid will be up against Borussia Dortmund.
The semis will see the winners of Arsenal-Bayern taking on whoever comes out on top between City and Real, while PSG or Barca will face a showdown with the victor of the Atlti-Dortmund tie.
The Gunners will take on the Bundesliga champions in an intriguing tie with England striker Kane, having joined the club last summer, facing his former club’s rivals.
Arsenal narrowly beat Porto on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate draw to reach the last eight while Bayern overturned a 1-0 first defeat to Lazio to advance.
The German side will head to the Emirates for the first leg armed with former Spurs hitman Kane, who has netted 36 times in all competitions this season following his £100m move from north London.
Arsenal are playing Champions League football for the first time since 2017, when ominously, they suffered a humiliating 10-2 aggregate defeat against Bayern.
Equally worrying is Kane’s record against the Gunners, with the 30-year-old netting 14 times in 16 appearances against them during his time at Spurs.
City will face Real Madrid for the third time in as many years as they look to defend the trophy they won for the first time last season as part of a historic treble.
Following a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu in last year’s semi-final, City thumped Madrid 4-0 in the second leg to book their place in the final.
However, 12 months earlier, late drama in Madrid saw Real eventually emerge 6-5 on aggregate to reach the final where they beat Liverpool to lift the trophy for a record-extending 14th time.
Paris Saint-Germain will face Barcelona in a repeat of arguably the greatest tie in the competition’s history.
In 2017, the Catalan side overturned a 4-0 first leg defeat to win the second leg 6-1 in the round of 16.
The match also has the added narrative of Kylian Mbappe who is set to leave Paris in the summer and join Barca’s bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund will both be aware of their status as respective underdogs but both can call on recent history as inspiration, with the Spanish club reaching the final in both 2014 and 2016, while Dortmund played in the showpiece match when it was last hosted at Wembley in 2013.
FULL QUARTER FINAL DRAW:
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Manchester City
Paris Saint-Germain v Barcelona
SEMI-FINAL DRAW:
Atletico Madrid/Borussia Dortmund v Paris Saint-Germain/Barcelona
Arsenal/Bayern Munich v Real Madrid/Manchester City
The final of the competition takes place at Wembley on June 1.