Champions League draw: Manchester City troll Arsenal after they draw Barcelona in last-16

Arsenal will have to defeat the defending champions if they are to end their Champions League wait

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger (Getty Images)

Arsenal fans had an excuse to hide behind their sofa on Monday morning after they drew Barcelona in the Champions League last-16, having fallen to the Catalans twice in recent years.

Barcelona masterminded the European elimination of the Gunners in both 2010 and 2011, the first of which came in the quarter-finals and the latter in the round of 16 where they will meet in February next year.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, they will head into the tie as serious underdogs, and Premier League rivals Manchester City couldn’t wait to rub their noses in it having lost to the Catalans for the past two seasons.

Taking to Twitter, City announced their own draw – a dream tie against Dynamo Kiev that gives them a fantastic chance to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history – before congratulating Arsenal on their own fixture.

“Your turn to play ‘em @Arsenal!” wrote the official City Twitter account.

While Arsenal are top of the Premier League pending tonight’s clash between Leicester and Chelsea that could see the Fixes return to the summit with victory, there may be optimism in north London that they can finally break their Barcelona hoodoo and knock the reigning European champions out of the competition.

Arsenal can also look back to their victory over Bayern Munich in the group stage for inspiration, although the 5-1 defeat in the reverse fixture in Munich will not live fondly in the Arsenal archives.