Good luck, Britain

When the Champions League draw was made on Thursday, it threw up a number of salivating encounters. Shakhtar Donetsk-Borussia Dortmund, it could be argued, is the tie of the round, while Arsenal, Manchester United and Celtic were all thrown a tough draw for a place in the quarter-finals.

Up against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Juventus, respectively, it can be argued that the trio will really struggle to overcome their European counterparts in the pursuit of continental glory. Naturally, there are no easy ties in the knockout stages, but to come up against the German, Spanish and Italian giants shows there is no love loss at this point.

With Arsenal and Celtic both at home for the first leg of their respective ties, many now believe there time in Europe will come to a swift and brutal end. While United will have a chance, what with the second leg being at Old Trafford, the fact that they’ve only defeated Los Blancos twice in eight meetings is telling in itself.

Either way, the future in the Champions League isn’t all that bright for the British trio. It was never going to be easy, but the opponents in front of them next year will ensure that they have to battle their way to last eight if they want to appear at Wembley in May. 

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