Manchester City against Barcelona is the pick of the ties to emerge from Monday's Champions League round of 16 draw in Nyon, Switzerland.
The Spanish champions will face Manuel Pellegrini's free-scoring side after being drawn first out of the pot in the proceedings. Jose Mourinho faces another reunion with former striker Didier Drogba after his Chelsea side was drawn against Galatasaray, which edged out Juventus on match-day six of the group phase.
"I think Barcelona will be very concerned that they have drawn us," Pellegrini, who spent the past nine seasons in the Spanish league, said after Monday's draw. "They are not the team of two years ago."
Manchester City's director of football is Txiki Begiristain, who joined the English club from Barcelona, and its roster includes several players from Spain's national team.
"If you want to be champions you need to beat the best ones," Begiristain said. "We have to score in away games in the Champions League."
Arsenal will face Bayern Munich, meanwhile, in a repeat of their encounter from last season, while fellow Bundesliga outfit Schalke faces the daunting task of nine-time champion Real Madrid. It's a relatively low-key pairing for Madrid.
"On paper, yes, but that is only theory," Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno said. "Football is unpredictable. It's a German team with a great mentality."
Elsewhere, Manchester United will face Greek champion Olympiakos, while Paris Saint-Germain takes on Bundesliga high-flyer Bayer Leverkusen. AC Milan's reward for edging into the last 16 is Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid. Finally, Borussia Dortmund — the runner-up last season — faces Russian giant Zenit St. Petersburg.
"You don't have to be an expert to say we are the outsiders," said Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voeller, whose team lost 5-0 at home to United last month.
PSG coach Laurent Blanc said it "could have been worse," but then added: "If they are second to Bayern it means they are a talented team."
The sides that finished as group runners-up will host the first leg encounters Feb. 18-19 and 25-26, while the second legs take place March 11-12 and 18-19.
PAIRINGS
Manchester City vs. Barcelona
Olympiakos vs. Manchester United
AC Milan vs. Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Galatasaray vs. Chelsea
Schalke vs. Real Madrid
Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
