CYPRUS champions APOEL have been handed a tough tie against French side Lyon in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Nicosia side have been the surprise package of the competition so far, qualifying first from a group containing Zenit St Petersburg, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk.
While avoiding seven-time champions AC Milan, there is no doubt that Lyon are difficult opponents for Ivan Jovanovic’s side.
They have been the most successful French club of the last decade, having won all seven of their league titles since 2002.
Despite not enjoying their best season, they are still ranked ninth in Europe according to UEFA and have traditionally fared well in the Champions League, reaching the semi-finals two years ago.
Following the draw, the mood in the APOEL camp was one of cautious optimism.
“On first glance this is a difficult draw. Some may say that Lyon are not doing well in France, but they are not a bad team at all and nobody can claim that this is an easy draw,” APOEL goalkeeper Dionisis Chiotis said.
“However, after everything we have done in the group we really do not know where our limits lie. We are an unpredictable team and I hope that everything will go well despite the tough draw.”
While Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas admitted that APOEL were the “easiest draw” for his team, he was keen to stress the importance of not underestimating their opponents, a tactic not adopted by the French press.
‘APOEL bring Christmas early for Olympique Lyonnais,’ leading French sports newspaper L’Equipe said on its website.
The first leg will be played in France on February 14, with the return fixture at the GSP Stadium on March 7.
Elsewhere in the draw, Milan will face Arsenal in one of two Italian-English ties with Napoli, in the knockout rounds for the first time, facing Chelsea.
Arsenal have advanced on all eight occasions when they have met Italian teams in the knockout rounds.
Holders Barcelona will play Bayer Leverkusen while strongly-tipped Bayern Munich will face Basel.
Real Madrid, seeking to become European champions for a tenth time, were given a trip to icy Russia in February when they drew CSKA Moscow – something their arch-rivals were happy to avoid.
“We got Bayer, well, perfect. All the teams have their positives and negatives. Like all things in life, you can focus on the rough and the smooth,” said Barcelona president Sandro Rosell.
“With the Russian teams, for example, we preferred not to get one of them due to the plane trip, the fact you have to travel a day earlier and the cold, but, on the other hand they are in pre-season.”
Bayern, who beat Basel home and away in last year’s group stage, refused to take Basel lightly after the Swiss champions qualified at Manchester United’s expense.
“If we remain focused and play with full force then we have a good chance to move into the quarter-finals,” said Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on the club website. “But please, no underestimating Basel.”
The other matches pitch Zenit St Petersburg against Benfica, who were last European champions 50 seasons ago, and 1993 champions Marseille against three-time winners Inter Milan.
Napoli’s home record could be a worry for Chelsea as they have not been beaten in their San Paolo stadium in European competition for 17 years.
“It will be difficult, we’ve already seen from their group performances,” Chelsea secretary David Barnard said.
“It will be a good occasion, a new experience for us. The feeling is upbeat, it’s always been there and I think just because a few results haven’t gone our way people have assumed people are not together.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger meanwhile was upbeat despite his side’s tough draw.
“You cannot avoid anybody, so you take the draw as it comes, analyse it and plan for the game,” he said. “The Italian teams have a history but you don’t know how it will go.”
AC Milan director Umberto Gandini said: “Tie of the round. For the quality and the appeal of the two clubs it is a fantastic tie. Last time we lost 2-0 to Arsenal at the San Siro and we were knocked out by Tottenham last year. We are determined to go through. Last year we had lots of injuries but right now we are in a better status than Arsenal. But lots can change in two months. They have a great player in Robin van Persie and Wenger is a great coach.”
