Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger knows his side will be in for a tough test in last 16 of Champions League after narrowly edging their way into knockout stages of the competition on Wednesday night.
A 2-0 defeat at the hands of Napoli and a victory for Borussia Dortmund away at Marseille meant the Bundesliga outfit topped the group, while Arsenal had to settle for second spot on a dramatic night in Italy.
The Gunners were largely able to contain the Azzurri at the Stadio San Paolo but second-half goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon meant it was a nervy evening for the north London outfit, who saw midfielder Mikel Arteta shown a red card.
Lying in wait in the next round of the Champions League for Arsenal are the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
With the all-important draw taking place on Monday and a battle against one of the powerhouses of European football to come, Wenger has admitted he was some left somewhat annoyed by Wednesday night’s events, even with the club booking their place in the knockout stages for the 14th consecutive season.
He said: “That is the frustration (not winning the group), because you feel there was room to do better, but it could have been worse as well tonight.
“Of course, to finish second makes the potential draw more difficult. In the last four or five years, we have had very difficult draws, so maybe this time we will be more lucky.”
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