Arsenal will face PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League round of 16, it has been confirmed.

The draw for the last-16 was held in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday, with the Gunners one of eight seeded teams after they finished in the top eight of the league phase.

With the Champion League now using a bracket system, just like in major international tournaments, Arsenal and the 15 other clubs still in the competition now know their possible route to the final, which will be played in Munich on May 31.

Arsenal were drawn on the silver side of the draw and will face PSV in the last-16. The Dutch side knocked Juventus out 4-3 on aggregate in the play-off round so will be a stern test for Mikel Arteta’s Squad.

Elsewhere in the round of 16, Aston Villa were drawn against Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund were drawn against Lille, Atletico Madrid were drawn against Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen were drawn against Bayern Munich, Feyenoord were drawn against Inter, PSG were drawn against Liverpool and Barcelona were drawn against Benfica.

With Arsenal on the silver side of the draw, the Gunners know that they will face one of Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in the quarter-final, should they progress past PSV. The first leg of the quarter-final would be played at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal’s possible semi-final opponents include one of Liverpool, PSG, Club Brugge or Aston Villa.

As Arsenal were seeded for the draw, they will play at home in the round of 16 second leg. The first legs of the round of 16 will be played on March 4 and March 5, and the second legs will be played on March 11 and March 12.

Each club plays once on a Tuesday and once on a Wednesday.

The Director of Defence Information, Brigadier -General Tukur Gusau, Defence Headquarters, this morning, presented the fact regarding Nigeria Military’s request for visas to attend Invictus Games in Canada.

In a statement,  Brig. Gen Gusau, said that the need for accurate information at this time can not be overemphasized.

He explained: “Recently, the Nigerian Military received an invitation to participate in the Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada.

Our team, comprising 3 officers and 21 players, including a team physiotherapist, eagerly looked forward to this opportunity, as the only African nation participating in the Games.

The Invictus Games Foundation catered for our team’s accommodation and feeding needs, along with those of other participating nations.

However, despite our best efforts, only 14 members of the team, excluding the team leader, captain, and physiotherapist, were granted visas.

Regrettably, seven of our athletes who had the potential to excel were denied visas, preventing them from participating in the Games.

Notwithstanding this setback, our team’s outstanding performance earned Nigeria gold, silver and bronze medals, proudly placing our nation and Africa on the global map of Invictus Games.

Furthermore, the participation of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, would have added mental strength to our troops.

It is on record that the Chief of Defence Staff has initiated laudable efforts to boost the morale of our service personnel who risk their lives to protect our nation and its people.

The Invictus Foundation Centre,(first in Africa) currently under construction, is part of this initiative to provide care and mental healing for our wounded personnel.”

The 2025 edition of the annual 42km 2024 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has been once again dominated by East African runners from Kenya and Ethiopia.

Kenya’s Edwin Kibet on Saturday emerged winner in the men category, clocking a time of 2:14:06 to win the $50,000 price money.

Kibet came third last year behind his compatriot Bernard Sang who won it with a time of 02:16:49 and another Kenyan Cheprot who came second.

In the women’s category, Ethiopia’s Guta Meseret Hirpa emerged victorious.

More to follow…