NYON – Defending champions Manchester City will play 14-time record winners Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals, while Barcelona take on Paris Saint-Germain following the draw, which was held at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon on March 15.
Arsenal are returning to the last eight of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in 14 years.
The Gunners will face Bayern Munich, which will give the German club’s star and former Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane – who has scored 36 goals this season – another crack at his former north London rivals.
PSG, who are seeking their first Champions League title, will take on Barcelona while Atletico Madrid face Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, which means all three Spanish teams have the opportunity to reach the semi-finals.
The path to the semi-finals was also drawn, with Pep Guardiola’s City and English Premier League leaders Arsenal – led by his former assistant Mikel Arteta – on a collision course if they advance.
The quarter-final draw is the last in the current format, with European football’s governing body Uefa adopting an all-new system from the 2024-25 season onwards.
The last-eight ties will be played on April 9 and 10 and April 16 and 17, with the semi-finals on April 30 and May 1 and May 7 and 8.
The final will be held on June 1 at the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium in London.
The Europa League quarter-final draw was also made on March 15, with an all-Italian tie between AC Milan and AS Roma the highlight of the four clashes.
Liverpool will take on another Italian team in Atalanta, while the other two matches will see Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen – who are unbeaten this season – up against West Ham United and Benfica taking on Marseille.
The first legs will be played on April 11, with the second legs on April 18.
The semi-finals will take place on May 2 and May 9, while the final will be at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on May 22.
While the Champions League is set to be extra competitive with three blockbuster clashes, Liverpool are clear favourites to win the Europa League in manager Jurgen Klopp’s last season in charge.
Reds defender Conor Bradley said after their 6-1 second-leg win over Sparta Prague on March 14 that the team want to give Klopp a proper send-off by winning every trophy available to them.
League Cup winners Liverpool reached the Europa League quarter-finals after an 11-2 aggregate victory over the Czech side. They are also level on points with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and have reached the FA Cup last eight.
“He’s been the only manager I’ve known at this club, so for him to be leaving is sad,” the 20-year-old Bradley said.
“We just want to win every trophy we can for him and give him the best send-off we can.” REUTERS, AFP
