PARIS (AFP) - Manchester United will face Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals while Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur clash in an all-Premier League tie following Friday's (March 15) draw in Nyon, Switzerland.
Liverpool were drawn to play Porto in the knockout rounds for the second year in succession as Ajax's reward for eliminating the holders Real Madrid is a two-legged tie against Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo.
English hopes are high that this could be their year in Europe's elite club competition after all four of their representatives made it through to the last eight.
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United will have their work cut out if they are to go any further as they take Lionel Messi's Barcelona in the headline tie.
For Solskjaer, the second leg will bring back memories of the 1999 final, when the Norwegian came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner for United against Bayern Munich at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium.
With City and United not allowed to play their home leg in the same week, United will entertain the leaders of LaLiga at Old Trafford on April 9 or 10, with the return a week later.
The last time the Premier League had four teams in the quarter-finals, in 2008/09, Barcelona beat the Old Trafford side 2-0 in the final in Rome.
The clubs clashed again in the final at Wembley in 2011, with Barca winning 3-1 on that occasion.
Uefa also drew the semi-finals on Friday, meaning the winners of the Barcelona v United will face either Liverpool or Porto in the last four.
Jurgen Klopp's side, fresh from knocking out Bayern Munich in the last 16, will be confident of beating the Portuguese champions after defeating them 5-0 on aggregate in the last 16 on their way to the final last season.
Liverpool will host two-time European Cup winners Porto at Anfield in the first leg before heading to the Estadio do Dragao in the return on April 16 or 17.
There is guaranteed to be one English team in the semi-finals after Tottenham and City were paired together, with the first leg to be played in London.
With Pep Guardiola's team top of the Premier League, 13 points ahead of Spurs in third, City will be the favourites to advance to their first semi-final since 2016. City have also won their last three meetings with Mauricio Pochettino's team.
The draw means there will be three clashes between the sides in 10 days - they are also due to meet in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on April 20.
The winners of that tie will host either Ajax or Juventus in the first leg of the semi-finals.
The latter tie is a repeat of the 1996 final, which the Italian club won on penalties against an Ajax team who had won the trophy the previous year.
Juventus have lost five finals since then but are hoping Ronaldo can fire them to glory this season after his hat-trick knocked out Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
That result ended Atletico's dreams of reaching the final, which will be played at their Wanda Metropolitano stadium on Saturday, June 1.
Quarter-final draw:
Ajax Amsterdam v Juventus
Liverpool v Porto
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City
Barcelona v Manchester United
Semi-finals: Tottenham/Man City v Ajax/Juventus
Man United/Barcelona v Liverpool/Porto
First leg April 30/May 1, second leg May 7-8 .
Final: June 1 (Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid)
Crowds flock to Argentine village to pay tribute to footballer Sala. The player's body was recovered from the submerged wreckage on 7 February but 59-year-old Ibbotson remains missing.
Crowds flock to Argentine village to pay tribute to
Football: PSG coach Thomas Tuchel hits out at Neymar after fan attack at French Cup final Thomas Tuchel (left) blasted Neymar for hitting a fan who insulted Paris Saint-Germain players while
PSG Coach Thomas Tuchel Hits Out at Neymar after Fan Attack
Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch Can Opener Unlike most can openers, the Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch Can Opener is designed so the blade cuts along the side and not into the top of the can. This minimizes the blades contact with food and prevents splashing or seeping out from the top since the can remains closed until you lift the lid.
Register Now for 2019! | Hamilton Cycling Club
Claude Puel has spoken of his "honour" at being given the opportunity to manage Leicester following his sacking at the weekend. The 57-year-old Frenchman's 16-month reign came to an end after
Sacked Puel says an 'honour' to manage Leicester - World
worldsoccertalk.com/2019/02/25/sacked-puel-says-an-honour-to-manage-leicester/
London (AFP) - Claude Puel has spoken of his "honour" at being given the opportunity to manage Leicester following his sacking at the weekend. The 57-year-old Frenchman's 16-month reign came to an end after Saturday's 4-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, Leicester's sixth defeat in seven matches.
Claude Puel: Sacked Leicester boss says it was his 'honour
Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson has said there is a belief among the Reds squad that they can win the Premier The Merseyside outfit have been in brilliant form (Brazil football
How Liverpool's belief has ensured fate is in their own hands
What do adders look like and can they kill? The only venomous snakes native to the UK - here's all you need to know While the adder's bite can be very painful and the venom does have the
Bargain Shopping at Torrevieja Markets - Spain Holiday
Son Heung-min will aim to inspire South Korea to Asian Cup glory, with Iran looking strong as Australia and Japan face up to transition. be the bedrock of a title tilt, while Saudi Arabia have
Asian Cup: Qatar, Japan advance with perfect records
Mohamed Salah completed a memorable day for Egyptian football by retaining his African Player of the Year award in Senegal Tuesday night. The 26-year-old Liverpool star finished first with club-mate Senegalese Sadio Mane and Arsenal and Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the other finalists.
Newport manager believes shock City victory possible
Shellshocked Madrid knocked out of Champions League by brilliant Ajax The humiliating defeat completed a miserable week for Real, who have monopolised the competition since 2016 and are now
Shell-shocked Real Madrid knocked out of UEFA Champions
Breaking news headlines about Video Assistant Referees linking to 1,000s of websites from around the world
0 comments:
Post a Comment