After seven years of absence from the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal returned to Europe’s premier continental competition this season.

The Gunners are aiming to win a first European trophy since the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994, but will have to overcome the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Inter if they want to be crowned champions.

With plenty of challenges on the horizon, how can the Gunners make it to the final at Wembley come the end of the season?

Arsenal may have spent a number of years away from the Champions League, but they took little time to rediscover their mojo.

The Gunners eased to a 4-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven in their Group B opener and despite a 2-1 defeat to Lens in their second match of the competition, they recovered with victories home and away against Sevilla.

Mikel Arteta’s side then romped to an impressive 6-0 thrashing of Lens at the Emirates Stadium in which six different players found the back of the net, ending the group with a 1-1 draw at PSV having already secured top spot.

Arsenal secured their place in the Champions League knockout phase with little fuss and were handed one of the more favourable draws of the last 16. The north London outfit will take on 2004 winners Porto over two legs, with whom they have plenty of history.

The two clubs have clashed six times in the Champions League, including in the last 16 during the 2009/10 campaign. After losing the first leg 2-1 at the Estadio do Dragao, a Nicklas Bendtner hat-trick helped the Gunners to a 5-0 victory in the return fixture at the Emirates.

If Arsenal can make it past Sergio Conceicao’s side in the last 16, they will set up a quarter-final tie in April. The first leg will take place on 8/9 April, with the second leg played a week later on 16/17 April.

While Arsenal face a favourable draw this season, they still haven’t reached the quarter-final stage since beating Porto in the round of 16 during the 2009/10 season. In fact, the Gunners have exited at the last 16 in their last seven Champions League campaigns.

Arsenal will have to do something that they haven’t done since 2008/09 if they want to be successful in this season’s competition and that’s reach the final four. They have only made it to the semi-finals twice before in the Champions League, losing both legs to Manchester United last time out.

This year, the semi-final first leg will commence on 30 April/1 May, while second legs will take place on 7/8 May.

It won’t be a long trip to for Arsenal to this season’s Champions League final venue, the showpiece event taking place at Wembley on 1 June.

If the Gunners can traverse the knockout stages, they could book their spot in the last two for only the second time. Arsenal made it to the final in 2005/06 but lost 2-1 to Barcelona after Jens Lehmann’s early red card.

Arsenal’s most recent trip to Wembley came in the Community Shield at the start of the season, Arteta’s men beating treble-winners Man City on penalties.