St James' Park, Newcastle

Next Game

Newcastle v Arsenal

Sunday, 19 May 2013, 16:00

Barclays Prem

Emirates Stadium

Last Game

Arsenal 4 - 1 Wigan

Tuesday, 14 May 2013, 19:45

Barclays Prem

Song keen on Arsenal reunion

Barcelona midfielder Alex Song would welcome a return to Arsenal when the Champions League round of 16 draw is made in Nyon on Thursday.

Last Updated: 19/12/12 at 16:35 Post Comment    Bet with SkyBet  Champions League. Click here to bet.

Alex Song: Wants to face Arsenal

Alex Song: Wants to face Arsenal

The Spanish giants are one of six teams Arsene Wenger's group runners-up could face, alongside Paris Saint-Germain, Malaga, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Bayern Munich.

Song swapped the Emirates Stadium for the Nou Camp when he joined the Arsenal exodus during the summer and expects only one outcome if they meet for a place in the quarter-finals.

"Of course I would like to play against Arsenal. For me to go back there, where I had seven magnificent years, would be something very special," the 25-year-old said.

"If we draw Arsenal I'd be happy to see the fans again and go back to the club, even though if we go there it will be to get the best result possible.

"Arsenal's a big club, but Barcelona's a level above because of the talent of the players there.

"That's no disrespect to Arsenal because they have talented players, but I think the Barcelona players are above them. I saw a lot of people come and a lot of people go at Arsenal."

Song's desire will not be shared by the Gunners, who will be desperate to avoid a team that has been hailed by some as the greatest of all time.

Having finished second in Group B, the possibilities facing Arsenal are alarming and Wenger will also be anxious to evade last year's beaten finalists Bayern Munich and Serie A leaders Juventus.

Manchester United are the second Barclays Premier League side to make it through to the knockout stages after defending champions Chelsea and Manchester City failed to progress.

Real Madrid may be trailing Primera Division leaders Barcelona by 13 points but they are still the team Sir Alex Ferguson will want to avoid most, knowing only Champions League glory can redeem Jose Mourinho.

Porto, AC Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk, Valencia and Celtic are the other possibilities, with the latter setting up a fascinating Battle of Britain contest.

Celtic defied all expectations to qualify as group runners-up behind Barcelona, in the process securing more points than any other Scottish team in the Champions League pool stages with 10.

Other than United, they could meet Malaga, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke or PSG.

Barcelona are favourites to claim their fourth Champions League title since 2006, followed by Real and Bayern, and Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez expects one of the heavyweights to be crowned winners.

"Barcelona, Real Madrid, the English teams, Bayern Munich and Juventus are strong teams," said Benitez, winner of the competition with Liverpool in 2005.

"Obviously they're the big names and they'll be there again, it won't change too much.

"You can find a surprise in some seasons but because those teams are so strong, I don't see there being any surprises this year."

Chelsea are second favourites behind Atletico Madrid to win the Europa League, their reward for finishing third in their Champions League group.

They are joined in the round of 32 by Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle, although none of the Premier League rivals are able to face each other at this stage.

Atletico are a possibility for Chelsea and Liverpool, while big names such as Inter Milan, Napoli, Benfica and Ajax remain in the competition.

Bet with SkyBet  Champions League. Click here to bet.

Football365 Facebook Fan Page

The Football365 fan page is a great place to meet like minded people, have football related discussions and make new friends.

Related News

Sky Bet

    • Retrieving latest Sky Bet odds

Most Commented

Readers' Comments

T

he day Tonys hat goes missing for some bantz will be different story altogether..

TheBrestEver
Stoke probe 'banter gone wild'

I

m starting to think Roman may never actually be happy at the top level. If he wants all conquering fancy football I wonder if he'd be better off buying a lower division side then paying outlandish salaries to attract high caliber players too good for the division.

john matrix
The Most Unsatisfying European Victory...

R

afa has to be favourite for the Everton job now, surely :) He'll realise his ambition to live and work on Merseyside again, get the best out of whoever plays for them, maybe win some cups and be thoroughly loathed by the toffee fans. What's not to like? Go ead, Ken, gimajob!

captbusby
Benitez basks in final glory

Footer 365

Saints finish third, Celtic romp

St Johnstone claimed third spot in the SPL - and a Europa League berth - after a 2-0 win over Motherwell, while Celtic beat Dundee United 4-0.

League One play-off final: Yeovil beat Brentford 2-1 at Wembley

Yeovil beat Brentford 2-1 in the League One play-off final at Wembley to reach the Championship for the first time.

Tevez open to Ligue 1 move

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez admits he would be open to a move to either Monaco or Paris Saint Germain in the summer.

Mail Box

James Collins Is Only 29. Tough Paper Round

He is one of a number of solid shouts for players that look old before their time. We also have the final words on lovely D-Beck and a rejection of end of season playoffs...

Without Posh, Becks Could Have Been Scholes

That's one opinion, but others give their thanks to the man. We also have ideas for a relegation playoff, happy memories of the season and a defence of Liverpool's campaign...

© 2013 British Sky Broadcasting Ltd. All Rights Reserved