Arsenal could reunite with former striker Robin van Persie in the Champions League as the Gunners wait to learn who they will face in the last 16 of the competition.
Mikel Arteta's men bypassed the playoff round thanks to a third-placed finish in the league phase, allowing them to take a mid-season trip to Dubai while 16 teams fought for their place in the next knockout round.
The Gunners' four possible opponents before the conclusion of the playoff round were Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven, Juventus and AC Milan, and the two Dutch outfits stunned their Serie A counterparts to progress.
While PSV shocked Juventus 4-3 on aggregate with a 3-1 success in the second leg, an injury-hit Feyenoord held Milan to a 1-1 second-leg draw at San Siro after prevailing 1-0 in the opening battle at De Kuip.
The Eredivisie giants benefitted from a nonsensical red card to Theo Hernandez, who was sent off for simulation having already been on a yellow card, and they triumphed despite being without a permanent head coach.
Van Persie 'on brink' of Feyenoord appointment
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Feyenoord sacked Brian Priske earlier this month and have since been under the wing of Pascal Bosschaart, but The Athletic claims that Van Persie is now close to being appointed their new manager.
The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker is currently in charge of Heerenveen, but the report claims that an agreement should be in place for Van Persie to take over as Feyenoord boss on Thursday.
Van Persie could therefore be manning the touchline at the Emirates for the last 16 of the Champions League, as Arsenal wait to learn whether they will take on Feyenoord or PSV in their first knockout tie.
The draw for the last 16 will take place on Friday morning, before the first legs are played on March 4/5 and the second legs on March 11/12.
As the seeded team, Arsenal will be away for the first leg before hosting their opponents at the Emirates a week later, and Inter Milan are the other potential opponents for PSV and Feyenoord.
Van Persie's Arsenal record analysed
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Whether Van Persie will indeed head back to the Emirates next month will be revealed on Friday, but the 41-year-old should not expect a hero's welcome in North London.
Van Persie was on the books at the Emirates for eight years between 2004 and 2012 and endeared himself to the fans straight away, scoring a penalty in the 2004-05 FA Cup final shootout win over Manchester United.
Several seasons of injury and inconsistency followed for Van Persie under Arsene Wenger, but 22 goals in all competitions in the 2010-11 season - including the equaliser in their momentous Champions League win over Barcelona - preceded a whopping 37 and 11 assists the next year.
The Dutchman comfortably won the Premier League Golden Boot with 30 top-flight strikes in 2011-12, but his refusal to sign a new deal saw Arsenal sanction his exit to rivals Manchester United, much to the fury of supporters.
Van Persie left Arsenal with a total of 132 goals and 55 assists from 278 matches and did not celebrate when he first scored against his former team in 2012-13, but he let loose when he repeated the trick in November 2013.
Ben Knapton
