PSG captain Thiago Silva: ‘No winter break could harm Chelsea in Europe’

Instead City got Dynamo Kiev, where the away leg will be played behind closed doors due to UEFA racism sanctions.

Barcelona defeated Arsenal in the 2006 final, after Arsene Wenger’s side had taken the lead. And the Londoners will be long odds-against to reverse those results against opponents boasting two of the three Ballon d’Or nominees in Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Paris: Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc hopes a “complicated” schedule won’t hinder them from defeating Chelsea en route to the Champions League last-eight stage.

Bayern Munich were handed a tough-looking draw against Juventus, runners-up last season, while Real Madrid will also face Italian opposition in Roma.

Wolfsburg, who dumped out Manchester United to reach the knockout phase for the first time, will meet competition debutants Gent.

The most recent meeting came in 2011, when Arsenal won the home leg 2-1 but ended up losing 4-3 in the last-16 clash.

So, Arsenal fans, stop mourning your bad luck and see it as an opportunity to pull off something special, and if it doesn’t work out, there’s still plenty more in this season for you.

“We are certain to see a sporting spectacular”, Albert Soler, the Barcelona director, said.

“Football fans will enjoy themselves, we’re two sides that play similar styles with a similar understanding of the game”. I’m delighted for the fans that will get two great matches at the Parc des Princes and Stamford Bridge. We have a lot of respect for them. We are used to playing PSG. Chelsea Club Secretary and board member David Barnard was one of our representatives at the draw; he thinks last year’s elimination by 10-man PSG will provide extra motivation.

Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has claimed that Chelsea’s chances in the last 16 of the Champions League could be hampered by not having a winter break.

The two clubs have met each other in both of the past two seasons, with Chelsea coming out on top in the 2013-14 quarter final and PSG sneaking through, somewhat shockingly, last spring after extra time. Arsenal pretty much have made all the mistakes they could have in the group stage and that would serve as a learning curve for them.

Emilio Butragueño, Real Madrid’s director of institutional relations: “It’s a special competition and we all know what it means and what a source of motivation it is”.

“We know what can happen if you have 10 poor minutes on a European night”. “We need to analyse it”, Blanc added.