Arsenal Champions League fixtures: Gunners face PSG in difficult group stage draw

Arsenal were drawn in Group A alongside PSG, Basel and Ludogorets

The Champions League final will be played in Cardiff at the Principality Stadium (Getty)

Arsenal have been drawn in Group A for the Champions League alongside Paris Saint-Germain, Basel and Ludogorets.

The London club have avoided the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich but will face a considerable challenge in the form of current Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.

While PSG and Arsenal will ultimately be expected to qualify from the group, neither Basel won't prove an easy walkover for Arsene Wenger's side.

Basel progressed to the knockout stages in the 2011/12 and 2014/15 campaigns and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League in 2013 where they lost to Chelsea across both legs.

They have been in the Champions League more times than any other Swiss club - a total of six times - and are the only Swiss club to have ever qualified directly for the Champions League group stages.

Although Basel will be capable of testing Arsenal, the side have lost some of their better players in recent years including Mohamed Elneny who signed for the Gunners in January of this year.

As for Ludogorets, the Bulgarian side should be an easy six points for the north London club.

The "Eagles" reached the group stage of the Champions League in 2015 for the first time in their history but failed to progress out of the group stage, despite clinching a historic 2-2 draw against Liverpool and beat Basel 1-0 at home.

The away fixture against Ludogorets in particular will be quite the experience. The 2,700 mile round-trip to Bulgaria will undoubtedly prove irksome for the Arsenal manager who faces the tricky challenge of keeping his squad fresh at a busy period in the football calendar.

Luckily for the supporters, those making the trip to Bulgaria won't face the challenge of cramming into the Ludogorets Arena, which holds 8,808 seats, with the game instead scheduled to take place at the Vasil Levski National Stadium.

Speaking about the draw, David Miles, Arsenal club secretary, said: "We've got a good Champions League pedigree. 16 of the last 19 seasons we've made it through the group. It's a great testament to Arsene Wenger.

"Recently we've struggled against Barcelona and Bayern Munich but we are pleased with this draw.

"PSG are a strong team. It will be great for our fans to go to venues they haven't been before."

Champions League fixtures:

PSG vs Arsenal (13 September)

Arsenal vs FC Basel (28 September)

Arsenal vs Ludogorets (19 October)

Ludogorets vs Arsenal (1 November)

Arsenal vs PSG (23 November)

FC Basel vs Arsenal (6 December)