Escape tough Women’s Champions League groups and Arsenal and Chelsea can end Britain’s long wait

Arsenal and Chelsea have been handed the toughest possible draws in the Women’s Champions League, with both facing huge obstacles to overcome if they are to reach the last eight of the competition.

Arsenal will face the holders Lyon and Italian champions Juventus, who reached last season’s quarter-finals, along with FC Zurich, with only two teams going through from each group.

Women’s Super League winners Chelsea, who were seeded in the top pot for the draw, were handed meetings with Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid, as well as Albanian league winners Vllaznia, with Emma Hayes’ side similarly having been placed in another tricky group last term and subsequently been knocked out at the group stage.

Both English clubs were unfortunate to be given clashes with Juventus and Real Madrid, who were the two strongest sides in Pot 3 of the draw process, with Swedish outfit Rosengard and St Polten of Austria having been the alternative options from that group, neither of whom would have been expected to cause the WSL sides too many problems.

Czech side Slavia Prague, undoubtedly the weakest team on paper in Pot 2 could have faced Chelsea, but evaded them with Hayes’ side instead getting a tricky away trip – at least from a travel point of view – in Pot 4 when they will have to fly 1,500 miles each way to Albania.