Three of British football's most historic clubs will look to take a huge step towards the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday when they play their second round, first leg matches. Arsenal and Celtic are at home to reigning champions AC Milan and previous champions Barcelona respectively, while Manchester United travel to French heavyweights Lyon.

The other tie sees Turkish outfit Fenerbahce host two-time UEFA Cup holders Sevilla.

Arsenal - like Premier League rivals Liverpool, who take on Inter Milan on Tuesday - will be looking to bounce back from FA Cup disappointment at the weekend, in the Gunners' case a stunning 4-0 reverse to Manchester United albeit without several of their regular starters. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confessed before the United defeat that the one thing he feared the most was losing, and he is certain that another performance like the one they put up against United would give him another sleepless night.

"The targets are so big for us that you don't feel sorry for yourself," said the 58-year-old, who should be able to start Emmaunel Adebayor, Mathieu Flamini and Spanish goalkeeper Manuel Almunia - all of whom either did not start or play at all in the United match. "We have a massive game in front of us on Wednesday night and I feel the immensity of the game makes you forget your disappointment.

"What we have learnt is that that sort of performance will not be good enough against Milan. We have to bounce back quickly from our disappointment. We will need to be at our best."

Milan, for their part, have improved vastly in the league over the past few weeks, winning six of their last nine Serie A matches, although they have drawn twice over the past week. However, they have been able to welcome back playmaker Kaka and holding midfielder Gennaro Gattuso from injury, and coach Carlo Ancelotti believes that depsite their slighlty waning form over the past two games the two sides will be equally matched.

"We are coming into the match perhaps not under the best conditions, but neither are Arsenal," said Ancelotti.

Milan's Paolo Maldini was not too concerned about the two successive draws. "There are always the highs and the lows," confessed the legendary defender. "But we are in a much better situation than we were a month-and-a-half ago and as holders of the title we are not going to let it go easily."

Attractive football delights Strachan
Celtic know all about Milan as they went out to them at the same stage of the competition last season, and they will be looking to repeat the heroics of their predecessors in 2004 who overcame Barcelona in the UEFA Cup. The Bhoys have won their last three home Champions League matches, but Barça have a pretty formidable away record in the competition having not lost their last five matches.

For Celtic's manager Gordon Strachan there could have been no better a warm-up for the visit of Barcelona - who have named Samuel Eto'o, Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry in the squad for only the second time this season - than the 3-0 win on Saturday over Hearts. "The first 20 minutes against Hearts was the best football we played all season," purred Strachan.

The 1967 European Cup winners will of course need rather more than just 20 minutes of that sort of football to see them overcome such formidable opposition.

Giggs, Ronaldo fresh for United
United go into their match with Lyon on the back of an even more satisfying and dominant performance against Arsenal, and that with the luxury of not having had to field Ryan Giggs - who could well make his 100th Champions League appearance - or Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lyon, by contrast, slipped up 1-0 to Le Mans for their sixth league defeat of the season and Brazilian playmaker Juninho Pernambucano admitted that having let several top-rank players leave in the summer the club were having problems filling the gaps, while there are also rumours that coach Alain Perrin has fallen out with both playing staff and coaching staff.

"Manchester United are definitely more of a team than we are," admitted the 33-year-old, who won 40 caps for Brazil before retiring after the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™.

"We have found it difficult to revitalise ourselves. What we need to do is rediscover how to defend en bloc and to be much more like a terrier, snapping at the heels of the opposition."