Arsenal face Wolfsburg, who knocked Chelsea out in the group stages, in Women's Champions League quarter-finals; the Gunners qualified after finishing second in Group C behind favourites Barcelona, who face Real Madrid in the last eight; path to semi-finals also mapped out
Monday 20 December 2021 18:32, UK
Arsenal will face Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League, and could be pitted against Barcelona in the last four should they get there.
UEFA also made the semi-final draw at the same time on Monday, mapping out a route all the way to the 2022 final, which will be played at Juventus Stadium in Turin.
The Gunners qualified for the knockout stages as runners-up in Group C behind current holders and competition favourites Barcelona, who will play Spanish rivals Real Madrid in the last eight, with Arsenal a potential semi-final opponent.
"Wolfsburg are a top-quality side, we saw what they did to Chelsea," former England forward Sue Smith told Sky Sports News. "That is going to be a difficult game, but then Barcelona could be next.
"Barcelona are well above everyone at the moment. I thought Arsenal had gone to another level in the Champions League this season, but when they played Barcelona in the group stages you could see the gulf between the sides.
"Ideally, you would have wanted to avoid Barcelona until a potential final."
In the group stages, Arsenal lost both games against Barcelona, by an aggregate scoreline of 8-1.
Jonas Eidevall's side are the only English team left in the competition after finishing runners-up in their group.
Arsenal edged out Hoffenheim on a superior head-to-head record and face German opposition again in Wolfsburg, winners of the competition in 2013 and 2014, who topped Chelsea's group to knock Emma Hayes' side out of the competition.
Women's Champions League quarter-final draw in full:
Women's Champions League semi-final: