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Arsenal are set to face Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 of the Champions League in March, it was made official in the draw that took place on Friday.
Arsenal finished the league phase on a perfect record, with eight wins out of eight matches, and comfortably topped the table.
Despite constantly being drawn against top teams like Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter, Arsenal came out on the other side with little to no damage, cruising to 18 points.
Arsenal finally find out their Champions League knockouts opponents
The draw decided which team they would face in the next round and which side of the bracket they would be on, since Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen were obviously placed on different sides. Bayern Munich have now taken the other side of the draw as a result, facing Atalanta.
A comfortable win over Olympiacos gave Bayer Leverkusen a path back into the Champions League knockout phase.
Going into the game, there were a couple of Bayer Leverkusen players who wanted to face Arsenal in the knockout stages rather than Bayern Munich, because that would have been similar to the league matches they play against each other every year either way.
Fortunately for them, their hopes were answered and they will now travel to one of the best teams (and stadiums!) in England.
Leverkusen have had their work cut out for them this season, especially after a torrid start to the campaign under Erik ten Hag. Since Kasper Hjulmand has taken over, things have stabilized just a bit. Leverkusen are currently sixth in the Bundesliga table.
Arsenal will play the first leg away from home in Germany, while the return leg, a week later, will take place at the Emirates Stadium.
As a result of the side they were placed in, they will be facing either Bodo/Glimt or Sporting in the Champions League, should they advance to the quarter-finals. That tie will also involve an away day first, before coming back to the Emirates for the decider.
The potential semi-final would also see a similar fate, with Arsenal playing the second leg at home as a result of finishing at the top of the Champions League table. The four teams Arsenal can face are Barcelona, Newcastle, Tottenham and Atletico Madrid.
It will prove to be an incredibly interesting tie first and foremost, and Arsenal will need to focus on that before they even think about playing in another Champions League quarter-final.