Arsenal have tonight been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of European glory, ahead of their first UEFA Champions League knockout round of the season next month.
After finishing third in the revamped Champions League League Phase, in its inaugural season, Arsenal avoided the dreaded play-off eliminator round – and knew that they would face one of four teams, ranging from Juventus, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven or Milan, depending on the outcome of their respective play-off ties against each other.
While there are no easy games at this stage of UEFA’s premier competition, results in the play-off round second leg on Tuesday have presented a favourable outcome for Arsenal – who could now enjoy a so-called ‘easier’ tie in the Round of 16 at the start of March.
The latter of the Gunners’ potential opponents, Milan, were held to a surprising 1-1 draw at home to Feyenoord on Tuesday evening which, after losing the first leg 1-0, means that the Serie A giants have been eliminated from the competition at just the second hurdle.
