Arsenal FC: 5 Teams the Gunners Need to Avoid in the Champions League Draw

No one expected Arsenal to be in the position they are in now in the most prestigious club competition in the world.

The Gunners have beat out the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Marseille to clinch a top-of-the-group finish before the final group game was even played, and are in a much better position to succeed in the Champions League than they were last year. They could even win the whole thing.

However, these are some of the best teams in the world, and Arsenal's European dreams may yet be crushed, along with a good deal of their hopes to end their infamous trophy drought.

There are better situations than others for Arsenal in the last 16, and certain unfortunate scenarios may see the Gunners crashing out earlier than they deserve. They will be hoping that, when the draw is made, they avoid these five world-class teams.

Enjoy.

Napoli

There is a reason why Napoli are currently in position to beat out Manchester City for the second qualifying spot in their group, and it is the tremendous quality they have in attack.

With prolific big-name forwards Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marek Hamsik and Goran Pandev, the Azzuri have a wealth of creative talent to go along with fierce strike power and a typically solid Italian defence.

They are the sort of team that can counterattack with ruthlessness and match Arsenal's quality in nearly every area of the pitch, and this type of opponent obviously gives the Gunners the most trouble.

We made it past one Italian side in Udinese to simply get into the competition, but it will be even harder to overcome another.

Bayer Leverkusen

Perhaps even better than Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen are an extremely dangerous and experienced side, led by the inspirational Michael Ballack.

By the time Arsenal would meet them, outstanding goalkeeper Rene Adler will be fully fit, and wide men Eren Derdiyok and Sidney Sam will be able to terrorize the Arsenal defence with their speed and piercing runs.

You don't get to the Champions League in a division where you are competing with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 without possessing a great deal of quality, and it is quite apparent that Leverkusen have it.

Just because they're fifth in the Bundesliga at present, it is extremely dangerous to underestimate a side like Leverkusen.

Benfica

If Manchester United achieve the very possible and overcome the Portuguese on goal difference (they are currently level on points and playing the bottom feeders of their group), they will be eligible to play Arsenal in the Round of 16.

Even though it was only a friendly, when Arsenal played Benfica during preseason, it was evident that they have quality all through the pitch, but especially in midfield and in attack.

Pablo Aimar, Axel Witsel and Javi Garcia solidify midfield, while Oscar Cardozo provides a ton of quality at striker. For the Arsenal of August, at least, this Benfica side was a bit too much to handle.

Let's hope this current, reinforced Arsenal team can handle the Portuguese giants this time around if they have the misfortune of playing them.

Ajax

Ajax are a team that is easy to underestimate. It is common to assume that since they are from the smaller Eredivisie, they are a very weak team.

However, they are packed with quality, and young quality at that. They are a very dangerous side that one should never underestimate.

With world-class talent Christian Eriksen spraying balls around midfield at the age of 19, highly publicized and sought-after talents Jan Vertonghen and Gregory van der Wiel guarding the goal and rising striker Miralem Sulejmani always ready to poach a goal, Ajax are a team with great potential.

They may not be able to keep all these talents together for much longer, but while they are all in the same side, they combine to pose great danger to any team they play. If that was not so, they would not currently be above Lyon on points in their group.

AC Milan

The only reason why Arsenal might have the misfortune of playing AC Milan is because the Italians were put in a group with the best team in the world, Barcelona.

Gooners will certainly not appreciate this, as we all know how good the Italian champions are, with a star-studded team of seasoned internationals and international superstars, perhaps the most notable of whom is the temperamental Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

They have demonstrated the ability to hang right with the Catalans, which one would expect from such a talented and successful team. They would certainly be the greatest danger to Arsenal's European hopes should the Gunners unfortunately be forced to travel to the San Siro.

Then again, if we can beat Barcelona, we can beat a team that almost beat them.