The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw on Friday left little doubt about which will be the team to beat this season.
The English Premier League leader, Arsenal, got one of the easiest paths to the Final in Budapest after landing Bayer Leverkusen as its next opponent. That prospect should allow Arsenal fans to breathe a sigh of relief.
Arsenal faced a potentially much tougher path by running into Atalanta and then one of Manchester City or Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals.
But that won’t be the case. The London-based side will face Leverkusen on March 11 and will be looking to shore up its qualification to the quarterfinals.
But as a piece in The Athletic noted, Arsenal’s defensive play hasn’t been at its best in recent weeks. Still, the club has scored 96 goals and allowed only 29 in 43 matches during the 2025-26 season.
Those are encouraging numbers, despite the fact that Arsenal has won just three of its last five, with two draws along the way. The good news is that the side has 18 wins in 28 matches, with just three losses.
And while Manchester City remains at arm’s length in the Premier League standings, one has to wonder if that pressure could get to Arsenal as they navigate the next round of the Champions League.
Champions League Path Favors Arsenal
The path following the Champions League draw on Friday gives Arsenal a good shot at making it to the semi-finals. After Leverkusen, Mikel Arteta’s side will face one of Bodo/Glimt or Sporting. While neither club is a pushover, they aren’t exactly powerhouses either.
That’s a prospect that has to put Arteta’s mind at ease. The club won’t face the pressure of a significant opponent in this round of the Champions League, allowing the club to focus on keeping pace with Manchester City and Aston Villa in the Premier League.
However, the path following the Round of 16 could be a challenging one. That’s what Arteta and his side will have to keep in mind moving forward.
Arsenal Could Face Major Challenge in Quarterfinals
The other bracket in the Champions League blue path features Newcastle United facing Spanish juggernaut Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur against Atletico Madrid. One has to imagine that at least one of the two Spanish sides will make it to the quarterfinals.
Going by the eye test alone, that bracket could feature Atletico versus Barcelona. If that’s the case, Arsenal will have one heck of an opponent in the quarterfinals.
Perhaps that might be getting ahead of the situation a little bit. There’s always the chance that Newcastle could upset a battered Barcelona squad. But then again, Tottenham could take down Atletico. Such a feat would and set up an all-English quarterfinal in the blue path of the Champions League.
That’s all speculation for now, of course. Arsenal fans will get more clarity on March 10 following the Newcastle-Barcelona and Atletico-Tottenham clashes.
The mission, nevertheless, remains the same. Win and advance. There’s no other path forward for Arsenal at this point in the season.
Champions League: Arsenal Team to Beat after Round of 16 Draw