Gunners facing tough last-16 tie with Bayern
ARSENAL’S delight at finishing top of their Champions League group proved to be short-lived as the last-16 draw pitted them against Bayern Munich, the 21-5 second-favourites for the trophy.
The Gunners, who face the German giants for the fourth time in five seasons, were eased to 28-1 by Coral after the draw. Finishing second in Group A wouldn’t have done them any favours as runners-up Paris St-Germain have a last-16 tie against favourites Barcelona.
Manchester City are 11-1 to win the competition but they must get past a Monaco side who did the double over Tottenham in Group E.
And Leicester’s reward for topping their section is a tie against Seville, last season’s Europa League winners. The Foxes are 50-1 to lift the trophy and 5-1 with Hills to be the furthest-progressing English team in the Champions League.
Manchester City are 1-3 favourites in that heat with Arsenal 4-1 chances.
The Gunners lost to Bayern at this stage of the competition in 2012-13 and 2013-14, beating them 2-0 at home in last term’s group fixture before a 5-1 drubbing at the Allianz Arena.
It’s 11-4 that Arsene Wenger’s men knock out the German champions and Betfred make it 8-1 that all three English sides reach the quarter-finals.
Ladbrokes go 15-2 about an English team lifting the trophy in Cardiff while Betfred and Hills are offering 50-1 about an all-Premier League final in the Welsh capital.
Borussia Dortmund (12-1) and Juventus (14-1) were trimmed following draws against Benfica and Porto while third-favourites
Real Madrid hardened in the betting after being paired with Napoli.
Zinedine Zidane’s men are 1-4 to progress to the quarter-finals and 5-1 to retain the trophy they won against rivals Atletico in May.
Last season’s beaten finalists are 9-1 to go one better this term and BoyleSports offer 10-11 that any Spanish club rules Europe once again.
The Europa League betting is dominated by English clubs with 4-1 favourites Manchester United followed by Tottenham at 8-1.
United play St-Etienne in the last 32 – the French side lie eighth in Ligue 1 – and Spurs take on Gent of Belgium.
Roma face Villarreal and Borussia Monchengladbach were drawn against Fiorentina.
Betfred offer 55-1 about Manchester City winning the Champions League and United claiming the Europa League.
Champions League last-16 draw: Manchester City v Monaco, Real Madrid v Napoli, Benfica v Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich v Arsenal, Porto v Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen v Atletico Madrid, Paris St-Germain v Barcelona, Seville v Leicester.
First legs to be played on February 14-15 and 21-22, second legs on March 7-8 and 14-15.
Europa League last-16 draw: Athletic Bilbao v Apoel Nicosia, Legia Warsaw v Ajax, Anderlecht v Zenit St Petersburg, Astra Giurgiu v Genk, Manchester United v St-Etienne, Villarreal v Roma, Ludogorets v Copenhagen, Celta Vigo v Shakhtar Donetsk, Olympiakos v Osmanlispor, Gent v Tottenham, Rostov v Sparta Prague, Krasnodar v Fenerbahce, Borussia Monchengladbach v Fiorentina, AZ Alkmaar v Lyon, Hapoel Be’er Sheva v Besiktas, PAOK Salonika v Schalke.
First legs to be played on February 16, second legs on February 23.
