Champions League Knockout Round Sorting Hat: Arsenal to play Barcelona

First off, we are absolutely happy to be here. Last week, we feared a poor result against Olympiakos would doom us to the drudgery of Thursday night Europa League matches, not envisioning that an Olivier Giroud hat trick and the Petr Cech force field across goal would lead us to qualifying for our bazillionth Champions League knockout round sequence.

This, of course, is not the round we've typically fared well in in recent years. Today's official, not-at-all-drawn-out-with-highlight-videos draw (at the God awful hour of 5 am where I live, so you are welcome) landed Arsenal with the defending Champions League Champions and oddsmakers' favorites to win it all. It could have been Wolfsburg, who many of us were rooting for, who drew mighty Gent. It might have been Zenit, who instead will face Benfica. But instead, Arsenal's road to Milan will move through a hosted match in London in February followed by a return leg to Camp Nou in March.

In other Premier League-related draw news, Chelsea drew PSG (again!) and Manchester City drew Dynamo Kiev.