Arsenal have been drawn against Monaco in the knock-out stages of the Champions League. Considering the Gunners finished second in their group, the French side is one of the more favourable outcomes they could have hoped for from the draw. For boss Arsene Wenger it will be a return to one of his former clubs - he managed Monaco between 1987 and 1994 and won the league in 1987-88. Will Arsenal be happy with their draw? Considering Arsenal could have drawn Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, they should be pleased with drawing Monaco, who are currently sixth in Ligue 1 and nine points off the leaders Marseille. They have already lost five times in the league this season. Arsenal finished second in their Champions League group with 13 points from their six games, which is actually more than Monaco managed. The French side topped Group C with 11 points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit and Benfica. Dimitar Berbatov will be one of a number of familiar faces in the Monco side . First leg . Arsenal vs Monaco . Wednesday, February 25, 2015 . Kick-off: 19.45 . Emirates Stadium . Second leg . Monaco vs Arsenal . Tuesday, March 17, 2015 . Kick-off: 19.45 . Stade Louis II . Have the two teams met before? Arsenal have never met Monaco in a competitive game before. They did play in the pre-season Emirates Cup in the summer when Radamel Falcao, now on loan at Manchester United, scored the only goal of the game for Monaco in a 1-0 win. Who do Arsenal have to watch out for in the Monaco side? Arsenal fans will need no introduction to Monaco’s star man, the Bulgarian stroller Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov spent eight years in the Premier League with Fulham, Manchester United and Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham. Berbatov has scored five goals so far this season – but is yet to find the back of the net in Europe. Arsenal and Monaco met in the Emirates Cup in the summer - but never played a competitive fixture . Another player for the Gunners should keep an eye on is Joao Moutinho. The Portugal star is a cultured midfielder who played more 600 games for Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Monaco and is considered one of the best attacking players in international football. Another player who will be familiar to Arsenal fans is Ricardo Carvalho. The former Chelsea defender moved to the Stade Louis II last season and has also played at the top level for Porto and Real Madrid. And what about the managers? Leonardo Jardim replaced Claudio Ranieri in the summer having previously managed Sporting Lisbon and Olympiacos. He stared his managerial career at 21 acting as assistant to local side A.D. Camacha for two years. The casino in Monte Carlo is one of the main attractions in the Principality . What kind of draw is it for the fans? It is a perfect draw for Arsenal fans. The South of France is easily accessible from London with flights going to Nice regularly. Return flights cost around £120. But with the tie taking place in March, it won’t be hot so fans are unlikely to take a dip in the Mediterranean. But Monte Carlo’s famous casino is likely to attract some of the Arsenal supporters who fancy a bit of a gamble. What has it done for Arsenal’s chances of winning the Champions League? Arsenal will fancy their chances of winning the tie given their experience of playing in at this level for so long. Both sides are below where they would like to be in their domestic leagues but the Premier League is undoubtedly stronger competition than Ligue 1. Arsenal are currently 22-1 to win the Champions League, having been 33-1 before the draw.
Arsenal drawn to play Monaco in last 16 of the Champions League .
The two sides have never met in a competitive game before .
Arsenal will play at home in the first leg on February 25 and the away game is on March 17 .
Arsenal have been drawn against Monaco in the knock-out stages of the Champions League. Considering the Gunners finished second in their group, the French side is one of the more favourable outcomes they could have hoped for from the draw. For boss Arsene Wenger it will be a return to one of his former clubs - he managed Monaco between 1987 and 1994 and won the league in 1987-88. Will Arsenal be happy with their draw? Considering Arsenal could have drawn Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, they should be pleased with drawing Monaco, who are currently sixth in Ligue 1 and nine points off the leaders Marseille. They have already lost five times in the league this season. Arsenal finished second in their Champions League group with 13 points from their six games, which is actually more than Monaco managed. The French side topped Group C with 11 points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit and Benfica. Dimitar Berbatov will be one of a number of familiar faces in the Monco side . First leg . Arsenal vs Monaco . Wednesday, February 25, 2015 . Kick-off: 19.45 . Emirates Stadium . Second leg . Monaco vs Arsenal . Tuesday, March 17, 2015 . Kick-off: 19.45 . Stade Louis II . Have the two teams met before? Arsenal have never met Monaco in a competitive game before. They did play in the pre-season Emirates Cup in the summer when Radamel Falcao, now on loan at Manchester United, scored the only goal of the game for Monaco in a 1-0 win. Who do Arsenal have to watch out for in the Monaco side? Arsenal fans will need no introduction to Monaco’s star man, the Bulgarian stroller Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov spent eight years in the Premier League with Fulham, Manchester United and Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham. Berbatov has scored five goals so far this season – but is yet to find the back of the net in Europe. Arsenal and Monaco met in the Emirates Cup in the summer - but never played a competitive fixture . Another player for the Gunners should keep an eye on is Joao Moutinho. The Portugal star is a cultured midfielder who played more 600 games for Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Monaco and is considered one of the best attacking players in international football. Another player who will be familiar to Arsenal fans is Ricardo Carvalho. The former Chelsea defender moved to the Stade Louis II last season and has also played at the top level for Porto and Real Madrid. And what about the managers? Leonardo Jardim replaced Claudio Ranieri in the summer having previously managed Sporting Lisbon and Olympiacos. He stared his managerial career at 21 acting as assistant to local side A.D. Camacha for two years. The casino in Monte Carlo is one of the main attractions in the Principality . What kind of draw is it for the fans? It is a perfect draw for Arsenal fans. The South of France is easily accessible from London with flights going to Nice regularly. Return flights cost around £120. But with the tie taking place in March, it won’t be hot so fans are unlikely to take a dip in the Mediterranean. But Monte Carlo’s famous casino is likely to attract some of the Arsenal supporters who fancy a bit of a gamble. What has it done for Arsenal’s chances of winning the Champions League? Arsenal will fancy their chances of winning the tie given their experience of playing in at this level for so long. Both sides are below where they would like to be in their domestic leagues but the Premier League is undoubtedly stronger competition than Ligue 1. Arsenal are currently 22-1 to win the Champions League, having been 33-1 before the draw.
knock-out stages of the Champions League. Wednesday, February 25, 2015 . Kick-off: 19.45 . . Tuesday, March 17, 2015 . Kick-off: 19.45 . Arsenal have never met Monaco in a competitive game before. They did play in the pre-season Arsenal and Monaco met in the Emirates Cup in the