UCL draw: Holders Man City meet Copenhagen in last 16, Arsenal to face Porto
Manchester City have been drawn against Copenhagen in the last 16 of the Champions League, while Arsenal meet will meet Portuguese giants Porto.
The reigning champions cruised through Group G with a perfect record of 18 points from six matches and have been handed a relatively kind draw for the last 16 against the Group A runners-up.
Copenhagen pipped Galatasaray and Manchester United to second place in their section and will host Man City in the first leg before travelling to the Etihad for the reverse fixture one week later in February.
The two clubs will be reuniting in the knockout phase after squaring up to one another in last year’s group stage, where Pep Guardiola’s side ran out 5-0 winners at home before being held to a goalless draw in Scandinavia.
Man City were one of just two English teams to make it to the last 16, where Arsenal were the second name out of the pot in Monday’s draw, and the Gunners will be meeting Porto in their first top-level European knockout clash in seven years.
Mikel Arteta’s troops saw off Lens, PSV Eindhoven and Sevilla to finish at the summit of Group A with 13 points from a possible 18, while Porto missed out on first place in Group H to Barcelona on account of their inferior head-to-head record.
As well as locking horns in the 2006-07 and 2008-09 group stage, Arsenal and Porto were last drawn against one another in the 2009-10 last 16, where the Gunners lost 2-1 in Portugal before a dominant 5-0 win at the Emirates to advance to the last eight.
Elsewhere, last year’s beaten finalists Inter Milan – who placed second in Group D – face an intriguing contest with Group E winners Atletico Madrid, whom they lost to 2-0 in the 2010 UEFA Super Cup.
Fourteen-time winners Real Madrid – who also won all six of their group games – have been drawn to face RB Leipzig, reuniting with the German giants after both sides won one match apiece in the 2022-23 group phase.
Leipzig’s fellow Bundesliga representatives Bayern Munich will be meeting Lazio, whom they crushed 6-2 on aggregate in the 2020-21 last 16 in the only previous competitive meetings between the two clubs.
Barcelona’s reward for topping Group H is a two-legged showdown with Italian champions Napoli, who have never beaten the Blaugrana in four previous attempts, most recently being knocked out of the 2021-22 Europa League knockout round playoffs by Xavi’s side.
Finally, Paris Saint-Germain will be facing Real Sociedad for the first time in a competitive setting, while PSV Eindhoven and Borussia Dortmund will reunite 21 years on from their inaugural two contests in the 2002-03 group stage.
The first legs of the last 16 will take place between the 13th and 14th of February before the return fixtures are played on the 20th and 21st of the month.
