When asked to name who he felt could go on to win this season’s Champions League, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola did not include Arsenal in his list of four potential candidates.
The Gunners need no extra motivation to get their hands on Europe’s top prize, but Guardiola’s words will undoubtedly have lit a fire under an Arsenal side who may well see this as their simplest route to silverware at this point in the campaign.
With Friday’s draw for the last 16 now in the books, here’s how Arsenal can reach this season’s final.
There’ll be no reunion with Robin van Persie this season as Arsenal avoided Feyenoord and have instead been drawn against PSV Eindhoven in the last 16.
Arsenal are the obvious favourites for this tie but would do well not to underestimate a PSV outfit who just overturned an aggregate deficit to dump Juventus out of the play-off round.
Assuming Arsenal can navigate their trip to Eindhoven, they will find themselves faced with an incredibly tough tie in the quarter-final.
The winner of Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid will be waiting in the last eight. Both sides have impressed in La Liga this season but the prospect of facing Carlo Ancelotti’s continent-conquering outfit may be a worrisome one after watching Kylian Mbappe’s hat-trick against Manchester City in the play-offs.
Arsenal would be the home side for the first leg of their semi-final, where they could face another daunting match-up.
They will likely face one of either Paris Saint-Germain or Liverpool, who meet in the last 16. Both are among the pre-tournament favourites and will be expected to get past Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarter-final.
There could be a rematch of the 2006 Champions League final if Arsenal can make it through, with Barcelona the current favourites to breeze through their side of the bracket and book a spot in the final.
Bayern Munich are the other heavy hitter looking to get through, while Feyenoord, Inter, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Benfica are all possible opponents if they can upset the odds.