I love being in the Champions League. Even without the need to qualify, it’s one of the first games of the season. The rush to the stadium on a late summer’s evening, the excitement at hearing the unsingable Champions League anthem. ‘These are the champions’ or whatever the words are  – it doesn’t matter what they are, we’re in the Champions League and  that’s very special.

We expect to be there. It’s an exclusive club. Even in the past four years when it’s been possible for some lesser club to take our place (you know the one), I’ve always believed we’d qualify. I’ve bet other gooners we’d qualify. I’ve never collected, I was always just delighted that once again we’d claimed our rightful place amongst the cream of Europe’s élite clubs.

This season, barring a real disaster, we’re not worrying about whether we’ll qualify for 2011, but who we’ll face in the quarter finals this year. We can go all the way as we did in 2006, and that belief stems from the desire and yes Arsène’s much quoted ‘team spirit’ – our boys have come of age. We won’t be a pushover for any team in the next round and I expect most will fear us.

Last season, we had signed Arshavin, but couldn’t play him as he was cup-tied – remember the FA cup semi when he was ‘rested’ apparently to show the other players that they could win without him!  This season he will be our ‘not-so secret’ secret weapon. The omens are good.  We have players that opposition teams across Europe will fear – Cesc, AA, Nasri, Rosicky, Theo, Vermaelen and even Nikki qualifies after his hat-trick against Porto last week. The possibility that van Persie will play some part in the final stages is encouraging too.

Only the mancs will be thinking that we are a soft touch. The boss has said he’d be happy to be drawn against manure, and there are those amongst us who agree. I’m not so sure, let someone else knock them out – I’m sure Mourinho would love to oblige.

After last night’s results, the eight quarter finalists are:   Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, CSKA Moskow, Manu, Lyon, Barçelona and Bordeaux. There are no easy ties at this stage, we will have to beat whoever we are drawn against. CSKA would seem to be the weakest opponents, but what a message we’d send out if we beat one of the favourites.

If the fairy tale is to continue, then the bigger teams will be saved for the final showdown. I’d prefer not to play Barçelona in this round – a game against Barçelona should surely be the final at the 80,354 seater Santiago Bernabéu. It would be our chance to right the wrong of the 2006 final. TH14 played for us that night in Paris and some believe he missed a sitter that could have won us our first CL title. He won his CL medal last year with Barça and is not the player he was when wearing the red and white.

So tomorrow the draw will be made. The theory that M Platini would like to see an end to the dominance of English teams in recent years will be surely tested. If we are drawn against the mancs, many will suspect that it’s too much of a coincidence. – me, I wouldn’t mind a trip to Inter or Lyon in this round, but whoever we draw, I say ‘BRING IT ON’ – we have nothing to fear.