Champions League draw puts Arsenal and Liverpool on collision course with horror ties – as Gunners avoid frosty reunion

ARSENAL, Liverpool and Aston Villa are on a Champions League collision course after all the Prem trio were handed tricky draws.

Liverpool landed the most difficult of the lot in Friday’s ceremony, facing French giants Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16.

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That’s despite Arne Slot’s Reds finishing top of the League stage and, in theory, earning an easier tie.

Meanwhile, Arsenal, who finished third in the League, have been drawn against PSV Eindhoven.

And Aston Villa, who also made the top eight, take Club Brugge for a place in the quarters, having already lost to the Belgians earlier in the competition.

But, while those ties might sound relatively friendly, it what comes next that may give Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery sleepless nights.

All three Premier League clubs were placed on the same side of the draw, meaning a high possibility of at least one all-English encounter.

While it also ruled out the possibility of an all-English final.

Should Liverpool defeat PSG – who smashed French rivals Brest 10-0 on aggregate in the playoff round – across two legs, they could meet Aston Villa in the quarters.

The winners of that could then face Arsenal in the semis.

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But it will NOT be simple for the Gunners to get the far, with defender champions Real Madrid – who just dumped out Manchester City – or bitter local rivals Atletico Madrid awaiting in the last-8.

A potential Liverpool vs Arsenal semi-final match-up would mean an incredible THREE games in just 11 DAYS between the two sides.

The pair are already scheduled to meet in the Premier League on May 10 in what could be a blockbuster title decider – just three days after the conclusion of the semi-finals.

Arsenal’s draw did see them avoid a potentially awkward reunion with ex-striker Robin van Persie.

Van Persie agreed to become the new manager of Dutch side Feyenoord, who were the Gunners’ other potential last-16 opponent.

The 41-year-old left Arsenal in 2012 to join rivals Manchester United – a decision which saw him dramatically fall out of favour with fans.

Instead, Feyenoord will face Inter Milan for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Benfica are set to take on Barcelona, with Borussia Dortmund in line to face Lille.

But the biggest match on that side of the bracket sees Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen go head-to-head.

Last-16 ties with commence next month with the first legs played on March 4 and 5, with the return games the following week.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk