The three easiest ties Arsenal could land in the round of 16

Finishing top of Group A hasn’t been the blessing Arsenal fans had quite anticipated.

The Gunners could draw European giants Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the next round. The latter have knocked out Arsenal in two of the last four seasons and thrashed the Gunners 5-1 in the group stage last season.

And drawing Ronaldo & Co. at Madrid would be far from ideal.

Yet a tie with the Spanish giants according to statistician Constantinos Chappas is the most likely outcome for the Gunners.

One of the reasons Real are Arsenal’s most likely round of 16 opponent is due to the fact they cannot face the winners of their group, Borussia Dortmund. Nor can they meet domestic rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the first knockout round.

Consequently Los Blancos are left with just five possible draws, increasing the chance that they will face the only London side left in the competition.

If the Gunners can avoid Real and Bayern, the opposition becomes far more appealing.

We’ve picked out THREE of the easiest sides Arsenal can draw…