Liverpool and Arsenal's routes to the Champions League final: Gunners must beat Real Madrid and English rivals to reach Munich… while Reds could have back-to-back English ties

Liverpool have been handed a tough route to the Champions League final after being matched up against French champions Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16. 

Premier League sides Aston Villa, Arsenal and the Reds discovered their last-16 opponents during the draw for the latter stages of the competition in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday. 

Owning to the new ‘tennis-style’ format of European competition this season, the clubs also learned of their routes all the way to the final in Munich. 

And to begin with, Liverpool will come up against Luis Enrique’s side, who thrashed fellow Ligue 1 outfit Brest 10-0 on aggregate in the play-off round.

They look a real threat too, having already beaten Manchester City in the competition this season. 

The Reds, who topped the league phase with seven wins from their eight matches, could face a slightly easier test in the quarter-final if they can get past the Parisians. 

Though a potential clash against fellow Premier League side Villa, with whom they drew 2-2 in midweek, would be less than ideal. Unai Emery’s men would first need to get past Belgian side Club Brugge, who stunned Serie A high-flyers Atalanta in the play-off round.

The semi-final of the competition has the potential to throw up an array of mouthwatering clashes, with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal and Feyenoord among the sides the Anfield club could face. 

A semi-final against Arsenal would be particularly intriguing, given the sides are battling to win the Premier League and are set to meet domestically on May 10. The last-four European ties are scheduled for April 29/30 and May 6/7. 

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta’s side have been handed a similarly tough route to the showpiece after first being matched up with the impressive Dutch champions PSV, who followed up their final league phase match win over Liverpool with a 4-3 aggregate victory over Juventus in the play-off round. 

Still, the Gunners will expect to progress to the quarter-final where there will be a considerable improvement in the quality of opposition. Arsenal will face Real or Atletico if they get past the Eredivisie outfit. 

Their most likely opponent in the last four will be the Reds, though a rematch against PSG or even Villa is certainly a possibility.