Champions League draw: Five talking points

The draw for the second round of this season's Champions League was concluded earlier today as 16 clubs from around Europe were made aware of the opponents who would stand between them and a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

While previous draws may have failed to live up to the hype, the latest offering did not disappoint.

Below, Sports Mole has picked out five of the biggest talking points that have arisen from the eight fixtures.

1. English leaders square off against their German counterparts...again
Arsenal have paid a heavy price for not collecting the point that they required in Naples last time out to top their group in the form of current champions Bayern Munich. It must be stressed, though, that this is a different Arsenal at present. In fact, they showed an alteration in mentality at the Allianz Arena last season. Trailing 3-1 from the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, where they were quite frankly hammered in every department by Bayern, Arsene Wenger's side won 2-0 in Bavaria, which meant that they only exited the tournament on goal difference when many feared a much heavier defeat.

Bayern went on to win the treble and some have argued that their performances have been even better under the guidance of Pep Guardiola this term. They sit at the Bundesliga's summit, just as the North Londoners sit atop the Premier League - something will have to give.

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2. Drogba to make emotional return
Jose Mourinho recently admitted that he wanted his Chelsea side to be paired with Galatasaray just so that Didier Drogba could feature against the Blues. As the 'Special One' often does, he got his wish. Drogba spent eight years at Stamford Bridge, scoring 157 goals in the process. Easily the most important strike of his stint was the one from the penalty spot that sealed the 2012 Champions League trophy at the expense of Bayern. The Ivorian is by no means the force that he once was, but neither is the Chelsea rearguard.

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3. Argentine amigos do battle
When you consider the attacking options available to Argentina, you comprehend that it is going to take a stubborn defensive unit to prevent La Albiceleste from going deep during next summer's World Cup. Perhaps their best two players, Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, will meet as Barcelona take on Manchester City. The duo are good friends off the pitch, having formed a bond during the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands that Argentina won.

It was there that Messi also struck up a rapport with current City full-back Pablo Zabaleta. The pair spent a lot of time together following Messi's breakthrough at Camp Nou in 2004, when Zabaleta played for Espanyol, who are Barcelona's second and less successful La Liga club.

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4. Simeone's charges take on seven-time champions
The dark horses. The favourite of the hipster. This season's Borussia Dortmund. Call them what you will, Atletico Madrid are a force to be reckoned with right now. As it stands, they have gone toe-to-toe with Barcelona domestically, while also having cruised through their Champions League group. A few years back, AC Milan would have been the strong favourites to overcome Los Rojiblancos, but that is no longer the case. If anything, the Spanish outfit will be expected to progress. The match will also hold extra significance for Atletico coach Diego Simeone, who spent two years during his playing days with AC's bitter rivals Inter Milan.

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5. Omens good for Moyes
David Moyes said earlier in the season that qualification for the last 16 was the important thing for his Manchester United side. They finished top ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, though, and having seen what has happened to Arsenal and Man City, the Scot will have breathed a huge sigh of relief. He won't say it publicly, but if Moyes could have handpicked his opponents, he would probably have opted for Olympiacos. The Greek side did well to edge out Benfica in the group stage, but on paper at least, they are the weakest of all the runners-up.

The Red Devils faced Erythrolefkoi on four previous occasions between 2001 and 2002 and won each of them. Forty-year-old and current United midfielder Ryan Giggs featured in all of those encounters and has scored two goals against them.

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