Three games into the Champions League group stage and not many would have expected Arsenal to have qualified for the knockout rounds. Arsene Wenger has managed to turn the tides and with a little help from Giroud’s hat-trick they landed in the conference room where the knockout stage draw was taking place. Being a second team to qualify from the Champions League group is never easy on you in the knockout stage. Arsenal, who have been coming second for several years now, knows it very well. So it was not that the gunners fans were expecting an easy draw but probably have got to face the toughest team in the world football right now.
Barcelona and Arsenal are no strangers to each other. Barring last years Champions League knockout stage, Arsenal has been consistently meeting Barcelona and Bayern Munich at this stage of the competition. After the draw the Arsenal fans, and the other clubs’ supporters alike, took to twitter and expressed their thoughts about the draw.
While Arsenal has been inconsistent in recent years, they have shown a decent amount of stability this season and also are few teams to have beaten Bayern and Barcelona in recent times. On a good day the Arsenal team is capable of beating any other team in the world. The only concern being that such good days are few in number.
Arsenal heading into the Champions League last 16 to play Barcelona. #UCLDraw pic.twitter.com/1hCNiQw6HL
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) December 14, 2015
Barça beat Arsenal in the quarter-finals in 2009/10 and in 2010/11 as well as beating them in the final in 2006 pic.twitter.com/qLNxhghNpl
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 14, 2015
Arsenal fans watching the draw… pic.twitter.com/XLGd2iZAis
— Football Vines (@FootballVines) December 14, 2015
Arsenal in the #UCL Last 16: 2010/11: Out 2011/12: Out 2012/13: Out 2013/14: Out 2014/15: Out 2015/16: Barcelona pic.twitter.com/fKc5ROdxTK
— BBC Sporf (@BBCSporf) December 14, 2015
#ThatMomentWhen Arsenal fans watched them draw Barcelona in the #UCLDraw. pic.twitter.com/1Nz2L3mN8H
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) December 14, 2015
Arsenal sliding out the Champions League like: pic.twitter.com/hTp7bCxMoP
— Bas Boomaars (@basboomaars) December 14, 2015
Listening Barcelona rep on Arsenal in Spanish “should be easy Neymar just called he thinks 5-0 we take it easy on them”my Spanish not great
— tim caple (@timcaple) December 14, 2015
Collective reaction from Arsenal fans to drawing Barcelona… #UCL pic.twitter.com/09fGmUnruD
— Cam Hughes (@camhughes) December 14, 2015
And the round of last 16 will be Arsenal’s last game in the UCL this season…again
— N a f i s (@nafis96) December 14, 2015
RT @OptaJoe: 1 – Arsenal have won only one of their seven Champions League games against Barcelona. Predictable.
— olakunle (@dec19_signature) December 14, 2015