Mikel Arteta and Arsenal discover Champions League fate as round of 16 opponents identified

Arsenal now know they will take on one of four opponents in the Champions League round of 16

Arsenal ensured they progressed to the Champions League round of 16 in style following a 3-2 win over Kairat Almaty on Wednesday evening. Going into the fixture having already progressed to the knockout rounds, goals from Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli ensured the Gunners finished at the top of the tree thanks to eight wins from eight in the league phase of Europe's elite competition.

Mikel Arteta made 11 changes to his starting XI but that did not matter as the north Londoners made light work of their opponents from Kazakhstan at Emirates Stadium. The victory ensured Arsenal finished first in the 36-team league table, thus avoiding a two-legged knockout phase play-off tie in the process.

Arteta's side will return to European action in the middle of March and they will play one of Borussia Dortmund, Olympiacos, Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16. That is because the teams who finish first [Arsenal] and second [Bayern Munich] in the standings will face a team that is ranked 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th.

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Due to the format of the Champions League, which was brought in at the start of the 2024/25 season, the knockout stages of the competition will operate via a bracket system like in major international tournaments. This means every team's route to the final in Budapest on May 30 is mapped out.

Arsenal now know that they will face one of four opponents but the exact knockout phase play-off fixtures will become clear when the draw is made at 11am on Friday. The round of 16 draw will then take place on Friday, February 27.