Arsenal’s Champions League path revealed with quarter-final opponent confirmed

Arsenal have discovered their potential Champions League quarter-final opponents following Tuesday night’s dramatic European action, with Sporting completing one of the competition’s greatest comebacks to set up a showdown with either the Gunners or Bayer Leverkusen.

The Portuguese side produced an extraordinary turnaround against Bodo/Glimt at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit to win 5-3 on aggregate. Goals from Goncalo Inacio, Pedro Goncalves and Luis Suarez levelled the tie before Maxi Araujo completed the comeback in extra-time, with a fifth goal adding gloss to their remarkable achievement.

Arsenal’s route to glory mapped out

Should Arsenal overcome Leverkusen in Tuesday’s second leg at Emirates Stadium – with the tie evenly poised at 1-1 – they will face Viktor Gyokeres’ former club in the last eight. The Swedish striker left Sporting for Brighton before eventually joining Arsenal, making it a reunion of sorts for the north London side.

The Champions League draw has also revealed Arsenal’s potential semi-final opponents. If they navigate past both Leverkusen and Sporting, the Gunners would face one of Barcelona, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur or Atletico Madrid for a place in the final.

Barcelona currently hold a 1-1 aggregate score with Newcastle following their first leg at St James’ Park, with Wednesday’s return fixture in Catalonia set to determine the winner. Meanwhile, Tottenham face an uphill battle after trailing Atletico Madrid 5-2 from the first leg in Spain.

Favourable path avoids European heavyweights

Arsenal’s position in the draw has kept them away from the competition’s most dangerous teams. The Gunners have avoided holders Paris Saint-Germain, European giants Real Madrid, German champions Bayern Munich and Premier League rivals Manchester City – all of whom occupy the opposite side of the bracket.

According to Football London, PSG, who eliminated Arsenal from last season’s competition, hold a commanding 5-2 lead over Chelsea and are set to meet either Liverpool or Galatasaray in their quarter-final.

The other side of the draw features Real Madrid leading Manchester City 3-0 from their first leg, while Bayern Munich holds a dominant 6-1 advantage over Atalanta.

Mikel Arteta acknowledged before the first leg that Arsenal’s perfect League Phase record had earned them a favourable draw. The Spanish manager expressed confidence about the team’s prospects across four competitions, stating that their consistent performances give the club “a lot of hope and positive thoughts about what is coming.”

Arsenal’s focus now turns to Tuesday evening’s decisive second leg against Leverkusen, where progression would set up a quarter-final meeting with Sporting and keep alive their hopes of reaching a first Champions League final since 2006.