Barcelona Draws Manchester City In Champions League Round Of 16 Showdown

Barcelona's Neymar celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during a Group H Champions League soccer match between FC Barcelona and Celtic FC at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday Dec. 11, 2013.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) (AP2013)

NYON, Switzerland (AP) – Barcelona was drawn Monday to face Manchester City and its strong contingent of Spanish internationals in the last 16 of the Champions League.

The Spanish champions will first travel to Etihad Stadium, where Manchester United and Arsenal have already been routed in the Premier League this season.

Chelsea will have an emotional reunion with former striker Didier Drogba when it plays Galatasaray, and defending champion Bayern Munich was paired with Arsenal in the last 16 for the second straight year.

Both Man City and Arsenal ended up with tough draws after finishing second in their Champions League groups.

"No one of the (seeded teams) wanted to find Man City or Arsenal," said former Barcelona playmaker Luis Figo, who helped conduct the draw. "It's bad luck for Barcelona and Bayern Munich."

Also, nine-time winner Real Madrid will face Schalke, Manchester United got a favorable draw against Olympiakos, Borussia Dortmund will face Zenit St. Petersburg, AC Milan will play Atletico Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain will meet Bayer Leverkusen.

The first legs will be played Feb. 18-19 and 25-26, with the return matches set for March 11-12 and 18-19.

Man City opens the program against Barcelona at home, where the team is scoring on average more than four goals a game.

"(Manuel) Pelligrini is a very, very good coach," Barcelona director Amador Bernabeu said. "We know from his coaching in Spain that when we play him we have problems all the time."

Manchester City's director of soccer is Txiki Begiristain, who joined the English club from Barcelona.

"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."

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho said last week that Drogba should return to Stamford Bridge. The Ivory Coast forward's last kick as a Chelsea player was the penalty shootout winner in the 2012 final against Bayern.

The German champions have a re-match with Arsenal, which won 2-0 in Munich last season after Bayern had cruised to a 3-1 win in London.

"The toughest opponent we could get," Bayern defender Jerome Boateng said. "They are going to be highly motivated after last year."

Madrid continues its quest for a record 10th European title with a relatively low-key pairing against Schalke.

"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."