Mikel
Arteta's side had already guaranteed top spot before taking on PSV Eindhoven on
matchday six, a match that saw the north Londoners make plenty of changes to
their starting line-up, with the likes of Reiss Nelson, Cedric Soares and
Mohamed Elneny all starting.
The
Gunners drew the match in the Netherlands 1-1 as Eddie Nketiah netted his first
Champions League goal. That left them on 13 points from six matches, with the
only other game they dropped points in being their 2-1 loss away to RC Lens.
The
next stage for Arteta and Co. is the knockout rounds, which will begin in
February 2024. But before that, the draw, which is due to take place on
December 18, must be made.
Ahead
of Monday's draw, football.london has taken a look at the potential opponents
Arsenal could face in the last 16 below.
Group
A
Bayern
Munich have finished top of Group A, although all of Copenhagen, Galatasaray
and Manchester United were able to finish second depending on the results in
the final games. In the end, it was Copenhagen who progressed after defeating
Galatasaray 1-0.
Meanwhile,
United lost 1-0 to Bayern, finishing bottom of the group.
Potential
opponents for Arsenal: Copenhagen
Group
C
Serie
A champions Napoli and Portuguese side Braga were both fighting it out to
advance to the round of 16, with Real Madrid guaranteed top spot. Napoli needed
to avoid defeat to Braga by two goals or more to secure second place, leaving
the Italian outfit as a potential opponent for Arsenal.
In
the end, the Serie A champions won 2-0, leaving Braga as a possible draw for
the Gunners.
Potential
opponent for Arsenal: Braga
Group
D
Both
Real Sociedad and Inter Milan are through in Group D, with tonight's fixture
between the two sides deciding the final positions. They drew 0-0 in the end,
meaning Inter finished second.
Potential
opponent for Arsenal: Inter
Group
E
It
is a similar story in Group E, with both Atletico Madrid and Lazio also both
qualified for the knockout rounds. Diego Simeone's side only need to avoid
defeat against Lazio to finish first, and the Italian side could then draw
Arsenal.
But
if Lazio defeat the La Liga outfit, they will be first and Atletico will be in
the mix to face the north Londoners in the next round.
Potential
opponents for Arsenal: Atlético Madrid and Lazio
Group
F
Borussia
Dortmund are already through in Group F, although it remains to be seen where
they will finish. If they avoid defeat against Paris Saint-Germain, they will
finish first.
Meanwhile,
PSG will top the group if they beat Dortmund and will finish second if they
draw and Newcastle United don't beat AC Milan, or if Newcastle and Milan draw,
even if they lose to Dortmund. Newcastle will go through if they beat Milan and
PSG don't beat Dortmund.
But
again, the Magpies can't draw Arsenal even if they do go through. Milan will go
through as runners-up if they beat Newcastle and PSG lose to Dortmund.
Potential
opponents for Arsenal: Borussia Dortmund, PSG and AC Milan.
Group
G
In
group G, Manchester City are guaranteed to top the group whilst RB Leipzig will
finish second. That means that the German side are one of the teams that could
be drawn against Arsenal.
Potential
opponents for Arsenal: RB Leipzig.
Group
H
Another
complicated one is Group H. Barcelona are already through to the last 16 and
they will finish first if they can avoid defeat against Antwerp or if Shakhtar
Donetsk don't beat Porto.
If
the reigning La Liga champions lose and Shakhtar win, first place will come
down to overall goal difference, then overall goals scored and then overall
away goals scored. Porto will go through as the group's second-placed team if
they can avoid defeat to Shakhtar.
Meanwhile,
Shakhtar will go through as runners-up if they beat Porto. The Ukraine side
also have a chance of winning the group if they beat Porto and Barcelona lose
to Antwerp. First place would then come down to goal difference, then goals
scored and then away goals scored.
Potential
opponents for Arsenal: Barcelona, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Source: Arsenal- Football.London
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