Football: Big guns Bayern and Real meet in Champions League semis, Liverpool's Salah to face old club Roma

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (second from right) celebrates next to Vallejo after scoring the 1-3 during the UEFA Champions League quarter final, second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Juventus at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, on April 11, 2018. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

NYON, Switzerland (AFP) - Defending champions Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League, while Liverpool play Roma in a repeat of the 1984 final.

In the Europa League, Arsenal will meet Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals in a mouth-watering clash of two big clubs that have taken a backseat in their domestic leagues in recent years.

French club Marseille will play Salzburg, a club backed by soft drinks giant Red Bull, in the other tie.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Real, who have won the European Cup or Champions League 12 times, will go to Bayern's Allianz Arena for the first leg, while Liverpool will host Roma at Anfield in their first match, after Friday's (April 13) draw.

The Liverpool-Roma tie pits Mohamed Salah, who has scored 39 goals in all competitions already this season, against his former club.

"Looking forward to seeing you again," Roma tweeted about the Egyptian striker.

Real reached the semi-finals by fighting off a remarkable Juventus comeback before Ronaldo scored a late penalty to give them a 3-1 win (4-3 on aggregate).

Roma produced one of the most remarkable comebacks in Champions League history to knock out Lionel Messi's Barcelona with a 3-0 victory in the Italian capital that gave them an unexpected win on away goals over the two legs.

Bundesliga champions Bayern - five-time winners of the competition - who named Niko Kovac as their next coach minutes before the draw, eased past Sevilla in their quarter-final.

Liverpool, five times champions themselves beat runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate to set up their meeting with Roma. The English side won the 1984 final, played in Rome, on penalties.

The first legs will take place on April 24-25 and the second will be on May 1-2.

The 2018 final will be played in Kiev.

For the second-tier competition, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal will play the first leg at the Emirates Stadium against Atletico, led by French striker Antoine Griezmann, who are favourites to win the competition for the third time.

Wenger, whose side play Man United away in the Premier League between the two semi-final legs, had identified Atletico, Champions League finalists in 2014 and 2016, as the most dangerous side in the draw.

"Everybody speaks about Atletico Madrid that they look the strongest team on paper," he said, but he also described Marseille as a difficult place to go.

The first legs will take place on April 26 with the second on May 3.

"They are a similar kind of club to us," Atletico Madrid director Clemente Villaverde said at the draw in Nyon.

"Arsenal are a great team, they're up there every year fighting for trophies and getting deep into their European competitions," he said.

British bookmakers William Hills makes the Spanish team hot favourites to win the competition, but explained why Arsenal fans still have reason for optimism.

"It could be argued that Arsenal need this more than Atletico as a route into the Champions League next season," said William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly.

"Their Europa League form has been in stark contrast to their Premier League form during the second half of this season and they have every chance of progressing," he said.

Salzburg have already beaten Marseille once in the competition this season, a 1-0 victory in Austria. The teams also drew 0-0 at the Velodrome.

"But this time it's the semi-final so it'll be different," Marseille director Andoni Zubizarreta told beIN Sports.

The former Spain goalkeeper refused to accept it was an easy draw, however.

"The four clubs have worked a lot to reach the semi-finals and yesterday Salzburg was very strong against Lazio," Zubizarreta insisted, in reference to the four goals Salzburg hit past the Romans on Thursday for a 4-1 win and a 6-5 victory on aggregate.

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