Football News

In the long-term absence of perma-crocked Czech Republic star Tomas Rosicky, and the four month lay-off of young playmaking captain Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been linked with a replacement who can pull the strings while the former two ensure the club's physios earn their wage.

Despite reports to the contrary suggesting the buy would be too flambouyant, confirmation has just this moment arrived that Arsenal are indeed in talks with Zenit St Petersburg over Russian attacker Andrei Arshavin. A Zenit chief today told Sky Sports: "We have been in discussion with Arsenal now for some time.

"They are hoping that a deal will be concluded within the next ten days to two weeks."It is no secret that Zenit value the Russian international at £20 million, and if Arsenal were to pay the full amount, then it would smash the club's record.

The Gunners paid £13 million for Sylvain Wiltord in August 2000. In the winter window in 2003- 04, the fee paid for Jose Reyes was initially £10 million, but could have risen to £17 million due to top ups, but was unlikely to dwarf the transfer for Wiltord.

12:20 CET: Well, what can we take from this? At this stage it's churlish to try to select a "tie of the round" due to the sheer strength of the teams involved, but there are three English teams meeting three Italian teams here in what will surely be huge matches right across the board. Villarreal-Panathinaikos could potentially provide a surprise semi-finalist, while Lyon-Barcelona could be especially intriguing if the French champions get a good first leg result.

That's it for our live coverage, but join us throughout the afternoon and beyond as we bring you the latest reactions from inside the clubs, not to mention our unsurpassed editorial content. And remember, the Goal.com forums are just waiting for your contribution! Goodbye!

12:19 CET: That's the draw complete - here it is in full:

Chelsea - Juventus
Villarreal - Panathinaikos
Sporting - Bayern
Atletico Madrid - FC Porto
Lyon - Barcelona
Real Madrid - Liverpool
Arsenal - Roma
Inter - Manchester United

12:18 CET: And then ARSENAL meet ROMA by default, leaving one more tie - INTERNAZIONALE meet MANCHESTER UNITED!

12:17 CET: Struggling REAL MADRID remain a massive test for... my, oh, my! LIVERPOOL!

12:16 CET: OLYMPIQUE LYON are out next. Lyon are going to face FC BARCELONA!

12:15 CET: And then ATLETICO MADRID are drawn to face... well, it's none other than FC PORTO! Once again it looks like big guns versus big guns are coming up soon - but both of those sides will feel that this tie is winnable!

12:14 CET: Next up is SPORTING CP. They will face... BAYERN MUNICH! Well, this leaves several of the bigger guns free to be drawn against each other!

12:13 CET: VILLARREAL are next out. Who will Manuel Pellegrini's side meet this time? It's... PANATHINAIKOS. (Scroll to the foot of the page to see the whole draw, by the way, as it happens._

12:12 CET: AND WE'RE UNDERWAY! The first team out is CHELSEA. And their opponents... JUVENTUS! Claudio Ranieri meets his old side!

12:11 CET: The UEFA boffin is explaining the different draw permutations. Of course Goal.com has already kept readers informed of who can meet whom here (opens in a new window), so feel free to take a little two-minute snooze until the draw takes place!

12:09 CET: And now a UEFA functionary has appeared to conduct the draw. There are just minutes to go but, curiously enough, the presidential seating at the front of the room is nowhere near full, but the press area at the back is chock-a-block...

12:07 CET: Now we take a moment to remember the contributions of Bruno Conti. The former AS Roma legend is now a UEFA Champions League ambassador. He spent seventeen years with the giallorossi, believe it or not, in a wildly successful career. He may not have ever won the European Cup but he did finish as a runner-up...

12:06 CET: We're now midway through one of those highlight reels that UEFA do so well, in which the 16 remaining sides are being showcased. Of course it's hard to draw too many conclusions from a 20 second clip of each side, but Panathinaikos, despite their relatively modest stature, look to be a force to be reckoned with...

12:02 CET: Mr. Taylor reveals that of the 16 remaining teams, no fewer than 13 are past finalists of Europe's premier competition. I'll let you rack your brains to see if you can work out which three have never made it to the last two...

12:00 CET: And we're underway! UEFA General Secretary David Taylor of Scotland is waxing lyrical about the Champions League's unique charm. Michel Platini, the UEFA chief, sends his apologies - he's at the Club World Cup in Japan at the moment, preparing to cheer on Manchester United (apparently.)

11:59 CET: I'll be watching this article's comments as the draw takes place, so keep them coming. Above all, though, you should think about getting involved with your fellow fans on our Goal.com forums (opens in a new window), where the Champions League is just one of many topics. And, as always, our FREE Goal.com Manager (opens in a new window) game brings you the best of the Champions League excitement.

11:57 CET: Indeed, while Barcelona's draw may be considered "easy", another look at the teams involved suggests that there is no simple passage to the next stage. After all, even those names considered less than huge on the continental stage have their advantages. Panathinaikos, of course, managed to win their group ahead of Inter. The Italian champions thus can only meet Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, or Porto. Not long to go now!

11:53 CET: Just seven minutes to go until the ceremonies begin. The draw itself will follow after the usual pre-amble. Barcelona president Joan Laporta has more reason than most to be nervous at the moment: such is his side's seeding that they can only be drawn against Chelsea, Inter, Lyon, or Arsenal. But, as the cliché goes, to be the best, you have to beat the best...

11:46 CET: The great, the good, and the not-so-great of European football are assembled in Nyon to follow the draw, which, in true UEFA fashion, is somewhat Byzantine in its structure. It's not as simple as two sets of seeds being drawn against each other. Instead ther are certain stipulations: teams from the same group must avoid each other, as much those from the same national league. Our Goal.com guide to the qualifiers is here (opens in a new window) if you want a last-minute look at who can face whom.

11:44 CET: Welcome to Goal.com's LIVE coverage of the UEFA Champions League draw in Nyon! I'm Ewan Macdonald and we at Goal.com will be with you every step of the way as Europe's top 16 teams learn their fate on a cold, Swiss afternoon...

DRAW

Chelsea - Juventus
Villarreal - Panathinaikos
Sporting - Bayern
Atletico Madrid - FC Porto
Lyon - Barcelona
Real Madrid - Liverpool
Arsenal - Roma
Inter - Manchester United

Arsenal have had a relatively inconsistent season thus far, and as a result they find themselves fifth in the Premier League table, nine points off the pace set by the current leaders, Liverpool.Their most recent disappointing result came at the weekend when they were held to a 1-1 draw at the Riverside Stadium against a determined Middlesbrough outfit, further putting the pressure on Arsene Wenger and his men.

The English Sunday’s The People has reported that Wenger is interested in acquiring the services of two Serie A stars to help bolster his side for the second half of the campaign and beyond.

The players that the manager is reportedly interested in signing are Roma’s central defender Philippe Mexes and Milan’s young sensation, Pato.

The Brazilian has been phenomenal for the Rossoneri this term, and given his young age, he would fit in well with the youthful Gunners.

As for Mexes, Wenger is reportedly keen to reinforce his defensive ranks, to cater for the almost certain departure of William Gallas. The Roma centreback is seen as an ideal figure to strenghten Arsenal's back-line.

Both players would undoubtedly be great additions for the Gunners; however for now, these reports are just speculation, as there are yet to be any official offers made by the club.

The new Arsenal era under the leadership of 21-year-old Cesc Fabregas got underway at the Emirates against Dynamo Kiev with as much focus on the man he succeeded, William Gallas, as on the Catalan playmaker himself.
Manager Arsene Wenger, unable to call on eight injured first-teamers, selected a starting XI team that included youngsters Aaron Ramsey, Carlos Vela and Johan Djourou - and with a bench populated by five teenagers. If there was a somewhat unbalanced feel about the Gunners it might have been because there were seven left-footers in the line-up.

Once the action got under way, Dynamo's goalkeeper Stanislav Bogush needed to stand tall to deny Ramsey when the 17-year-old Welshman collected a Carlos Vela cross and fired a shot goalwards.
Dutchman Robin van Persie showed his threat from set-pieces when he fired in a free-kick from the right that Bogush did well to punch away from a crowded area.
Vela then did well on the left and sent in a cross that eluded a line of Kiev defenders before Ramsey raced onto it but could only lash it wide.

The busy Vela found Van Persie with another cross, but when the striker switched it to his favoured left foot to shoot, Bogush saved it, though the Dynamo keeper appeared not to feel confident about catching the ball, and had to collect it at the second attempt.
Arsenal were playing some neat football, but lacking a cutting edge, and Dynamo were organised and very solid in defence, showing why they have conceded relatively few goals in this European campaign.

The Gunners were missing Emmanuel Adebayor's forward runs and leadership of the line, and the counter-attacking wing speed and trickery of Theo Walcott, with Denilson peripheral on the flank.

Poor Gallas, who looked sombre and subdued, nearly made unwanted headlines shortly before half-time, when a lapse in concentration allowed the dangerous Ismael Bangura to dispossess him and burst through on goal but shoot rather than pass, clipping the outside of Almunia's post.

Van Persie responded by firing in another dangerous free-kick from the right that Mikael Silvestre got to before Bogush but could only knee the ball over the bar from point-blank range.

On the stroke of half-time Gallas flicked the ball into the net from a corner but the Kiev defence had moved out en masse and the ex-captain was left in an offside position, as the linesman's flag confirmed.

Arsenal had built a decent platform but struggled to knit things together in the final third, while Kiev showed flashes of why they are top in Ukraine.

Shortly after the start of the second-half, Fabregas took a free-kick from wide on the left and the ball broke to Van Persie who fired at goal, but the ball struck the hapless Gallas, who effectively but unwittingly blocked it just in front of the line.

It was a fairly disjointed start to the second period, but Dynamo looked more purposeful going forward, and Aliev blazed over before Bangoura fired a shot wide to give a warning to the London side.

Dynamo were playing at a higher tempo, with Aliev more influential. He fired at goal and Almunia had to smother it with Bangoura ready to snap up any loose ball.

Bogush punched a Fabregas corner clear and Dynamo broke quickly with four against three, but Gael Clichy did well to snuff out the danger. In central midfield, with Alexandre Song looking harrassed, Arsenal were struggling to wrest control, and their lack of a goal threat was giving Kiev encouragement.

In response, Wenger made his first change after 69 minutes, sending on the pink-booted Nicklas Bendtner for Ramsey.

A minute later, Aliev let himself down abysmally when, rolling around on the ground in apparent agony, he spotted that Kiev were launching an attack and leapt up like a hare to join in. Classic, but ugly, simulation, which he was lucky to get away with.

When the ill-at-ease Song brought down Artem Milevskiy, Wenger used the moment to send on Jack Wilshere for Vela, and so make Wilshere the youngest Arsenal player to appear in senior European competition.

From the resulting free-kick, Milevskiy had a chance to score but was superbly thwarted by the alert Almunia, who saved at point-blank range to give Arsenal a mighty reprieve.

And almost immediately after that, the Gunners scored the decisive goal.
After the referee stopped play so that Djourou could receive treatment, he restarted it with a dropped ball. Fabregas won it, and as Kiev players backed off, he hit a sublime long pass into the path of Bendtner, who chested it down, took it forward and shot low into the net between Bogush and his near post. The Kiev players were angry about the goal, but basically they lost concentration, fatally as it happened.

In their frustration, Aliyev was shown a straight red card for trying to manhandle the referee away from the ball in order to take a free-kick quickly.

The final whistle soon followed, with Arsenal safely through and the Fabregas era having begun on a winning note. The Gunners remain unbeaten at the Emirates in the Champions League, but must now prepare to meet Premier League leaders Chelsea in a major domestic clash...

Arsenal: Almunia, Djourou, Gallas, Silvestre, Clichy, Denilson, Fabregas, Song Billong, Ramsey, Vela, Van Persie.
Subs: Fabianski, Wilshere, Bendtner, Gibbs, Hoyte, Merida, Simpson.

Dynamo Kiev: Bogush, Betao, Diakhate, Asatiani, El Kaddouri, Eremenko, Vukojevic, Ghioane, Aliev, Milevskiy, Bangoura.
Subs: Shovkovskiy, Dopilka, Sablic, Correa, Shatskikh, Cernat, Yarmolenko.