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Bayern vs PSG, Real Madrid vs Liverpool: Champions League favourites drawn in same half
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will face Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea will meet Porto in the other quarter-final ties. The first legs will be held on April 6 and 7 while the second legs will be played a week later.
Defending champions Bayern Munich facing off against last season’s runners-up Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and record 13-time champions Real Madrid taking on six-time winners Liverpool will headline the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the draw for which was made at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will face Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea will meet Porto in the other quarter-final ties. The first legs will be held on April 6 and 7 while the second legs will be played a week later.
The draw threw up fascinating routes to the final to be held in Istanbul on May 29, with favourites Bayern, PSG and City being drawn in the same half.
Holders Bayern, who have been champions of Europe on six occasions, could come up against former manager Guardiola in the semis if they beat PSG in the quarters. The odds will be in favour of Hansi Flick’s side for the last-eight encounter, with Bayern unbeaten in Europe for over two years and in a fine run of form. Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG, who have struggled in their league campaign and are currently second in the standings, will be quietly confident though after their 5-2 aggregate win over Barcelona in the Round of 16.
The tie promises to be an entertaining one for the neutrals, with both sides featuring tremendous attacking firepower – Robert Lewandowski leads Bayern’s line while PSG have Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, among others.
City, who are bidding to win an unprecedented quadruple – Guardiola’s side lead the Premier League, are in the League Cup final and in the FA Cup quarters – have an easier draw on paper with 1997 winners Dortmund having a below par season in which they are struggling to be in the top four in Bundesliga, despite the continued brilliance of young striker Erling Braut Haaland, who leads this season's Champions League goalscoring charts with an incredible 10 goals from just six games.
On the other hand, the winner of the tie between Madrid and Liverpool – both of whom have had a season plagued by inconsistency – could face 2012 winners Chelsea in the last-four stage.
Zinedine Zidane’s Madrid are third in La Liga and huffed and puffed their way into the Champions League knockout stages, where they beat Atalanta relatively comfortably this month. Liverpool have lost six of their last eight league games in a spectacular downfall, but manager Juergen Klopp will take confidence from their surprisingly easy 4-0 aggregate win over Leipzig in the last 16.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have witnessed a revival in fortunes following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as manager earlier this year. The Blues have been unbeaten in 13 games across all competitions since the German took over and comfortably beat La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid 3-0 on aggregate in the Round of 16.
While Chelsea have avoided the heavyweights, two-time champions Porto will be a tricky opposition. The Portuguese champions knocked out a Juventus side featuring Cristiano Ronaldo in the last round and will be looking to extend their run in the competition.
Draw:
Quarter-final 1: Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund
Quarter-final 2: Porto v Chelsea
Quarter-final 3: Bayern Munich v Paris St Germain
Quarter-final 4: Real Madrid v Liverpool
First legs to be played on April 6/7 and second legs on April 13/14.
Semi-final 1: Winner of Q-F 3 v Winner of Q-F 1
Semi-final 2: Winner of Q-F 4 v Winner of Q-F 2
First legs to be played on April 27/28 and second legs on May 4/5.
The first team drawn plays the first leg at home in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. The final will be held in Istanbul on May 29.
