Every Spanish Team Arsenal Has Played in the UEFA Champions League

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While Arsenal's Premier League title ambitions may well have been derailed by injuries, their Champions League hopes remain alive. After a resounding victory against PSV Eindhoven in the round of 16, the Gunners will meet reigning champions Real Madrid in the quarterfinals in a rematch of the duos' clash from almost two decades ago. 

Most of the news written about both clubs stems from their rivalries elsewhere. A recent article from the popular Bodog News site named Arsenal's North London derby against Spurs as an honorable mention in terms of the biggest rivalries on the planet. Real Madrid's El Clasico with Barcelona meanwhile was ranked number one, a spot that Los Blancos are familiar with. 

They have romped to Champions League glory a record 15 times throughout their illustrious history, while Arsenal are still waiting for their first crown. The Gunners are undefeated against the giants from the Spanish capital, however. But how have they fared in their other clashes against Spanish opposition? Let's find out. 

Real Madrid 

We may as well start with the one at the forefront of everyone's mind. Nobody yet knows how this year's contest will go, but it is Real who are unsurprisingly the favorites to progress. That was the case the first and only time the two teams met before, however, and we all know how that went. 

Against a Los Blancos side in the midst of its Galacticos era, Arsenal's solitary Gunner of Thierry Henry downed the Spanish giants in the Bernabeu. The iconic Frenchman bagged a stunning second-half solo goal to hand his side a shock win. In the return fixture at the Emirates, they played out a goalless draw, meaning that Arsene Wenger's men progressed to the quarterfinals. 

Barcelona 

There can be no denying that Barcelona was Arsenal's kryptonite on the Champions League stage. Between 2006 and 2016, the two clubs met four times in the tournament, and it was the Blaugrana that won on each occasion. Their first pair of meetings came half a decade before that, though, with the Catalonians going undefeated in their two group games against the Gunners in the 1999/2000 season – results that saw Arsenal dumped out of the tournament early. 

The two wouldn't meet again until the 2006 final in Paris. Despite goalkeeper Jens Lehmann being sent off after just 18 minutes, it was Arsenal who took a shock lead on that occasion thanks to Sol Campbell's bullet header. Despite having ten men, The Gunners were the better side throughout and Henry could have put the game to bed with a number of chances missed. 

That opened the door for a Blaugrana comeback, and come back they did. The introduction of Henrik Larsson on the hour mark changed the game, and he assisted both Samuel Eto'o's equalizer and Juliano Belletti's winner to take the trophy to the Nou Camp. 

The two clubs met in back-to-back seasons in 2010 and 2011, and on both occasions, it was Arsenal who suffered elimination at the hands of a Barca aide at the peak of the Pep Guardiola era. They faced off again in 2016, and again it was the Catalonians who emerged victorious. 

Villareal 

One Spanish team that Arsenal do have a good record against is Villareal. The two teams met in the 2006 semifinals, and after a tense affair, it was the Gunners who progressed. Kolo Toure scored the only goal of the two-legged tie, with the shot-stopper Lehmann becoming the hero of the hour by saving a last-gasp Juan Roman Riquelme penalty in the game's dying embers to secure Arsenal's spot in the final. 

Three years later, the two clubs met once again, this time at the quarterfinal stage. This time around, Wenger's men progressed much more comfortably, winning 4-1 on aggregate, thanks to second-leg goals from Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Robin van Persie. 

Valencia 

While they may be struggling in recent times, Valencia reached back-to-back finals in 2000 and 2001. They lost both of them, but the second time around, they did face and beat Arsenal en route to the showpiece. John Carew's 75th-minute strike in the second leg in the Mestalla was enough to send the Spaniards through on away goals. 

Two years later, the two sides met again, this time in the second group stage. Once again, the big Norwegian was on song, bagging a brace in a 2-1 victory in Spain with the Highbury fixture ending goalless. 

Sevilla 

Sevilla are more known for their Europa League exploits, winning the trophy a whopping six times in the last two decades. However, Arsenal have twice faced them in the Champions League. Last season, the Gunners won both home and away against that Andalucian outfit. Back in 2008, it was Wenger's side that won 3-0 at home, but they did suffer a disappointing 3-1 defeat in the reverse fixture. 

Deportivo La Coruña

In the early 2000s, Deportivo were constantly a threat on the Champions League stage. Arsenal played them home and away in the second group stage in 2002, and on both occasions, the Spanish outfit won 2-0. 

Celta Vigo 

Arsenal's Invincibles met Celta Vigo in the round of 16 in 2004. The Gunners won 3-2 in Spain and 2-0 at Highbury, with Henry netting a brace in the second leg at home. 

Girona 

Finally, we have Girona. Arsenal met them for the first time ever earlier this season in the newly expanded initial league phase. It was the Spaniards who were at home, but Mikel Arteta's men emerged with a 2-1 victory, thanks to goals from Jorginho and Ethan Nwaneri. 

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