United gets Bayern task, Real takes on Dortmund
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REAL Madrid was given a chance to avenge last season’s Champions League semifinal defeat by Borussia Dortmund when the teams were drawn against each other yesterday in the quarterfinals of this year’s tournament.
Dortmund, which won the first leg 4-1 on the way to a 4-3 aggregate win, will visit the Bernabeu for the first leg on April 1/2 with the return a week later.
Titleholder Bayern Munich was paired with Manchester United, a meeting that will inevitably spark memories of their 1999 final when United scored two goals at the death to win 2-1.
Paris St Germain faces Chelsea and the remaining tie is an all-Spanish affair between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, the teams’ first-ever meeting in European competition.
Poland forward Robert Lewandowski, who scored all four goals in Dortmund’s 4-1 win over Real last season, will be suspended for the first match against the nine-time champion. “That’s a big, big blow. He is a great player. It was a ridiculous decision,” said Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke after Lewandowski was booked in the second leg against Zenit St Petersburg for handball.
Bayern, which is on course of a Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble for the second season in a row, promised it would not be taking United lightly despite its domestic problems. “We should not be blinded by their current position in the league because they have outstanding players,” said Bayern captain Philipp Lahm.
“We have to perform according to what we can and if we do that we have a good chance of reaching the semifinals.”
Meanwhile, favorite Juventus was handed a difficult tie against Olympique Lyon in the Europa League quarterfinals following yesterday’s draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.
Antonio Conte’s team, whose stadium will host the final in Turin in May, will travel to France for the first leg on April 3 with the return a week later.
Juventus, which eliminated fellow Serie A team Fiorentina in the round of 16, is chasing its first European title since the 1996 Champions League. The twice European champion won the old UEFA Cup three times and the Cup Winners’ Cup once.
Benfica, beaten finalist last season, was drawn against Dutch club AZ Alkmaar while fellow Portuguese Porto, which knocked out Napoli in the previous round, faces Sevilla.
In the other tie, Basel meets Valencia with the Swiss side, beaten semifinalist last season, at home in the first leg.
Basel could still face disciplinary action after Thursday’s match at Salzburg was interrupted in the first half for 12 minutes when its fans hurled plastic bottles and cigarette lighters at an opposing player.
Quarterfinal Draw
Champions League
Barcelona v Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid v Bor Dortmund
Paris St Germain v Chelsea
Man United v Bayern Munich
(Matches to played on April 1/2 and April 8/9)
Europa League
AZ Alkmaar v Benfica
Olympique Lyon v Juventus
Basel v Valencia
Porto v Sevilla
(Matches to be played on April 3 and April 10)
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