среда, 25 марта 2015 г.

Champions League draw throws up intriguing ties

Gareth and Cristiano are used to facing up against Atletico

The quarter-final draw for the Champions League has thrown up its usual array of heavyweight clashes and intriguing contests.

With five of the eight teams left in the competition having won a combined total of 23 European crowns, the draw was always going to include pairings steeped in European history.

This was evident when Madrid rivals Atletico and Real were drawn against each other in a repeat of last season's final.

On that occasion Real won 4-1 after extra-time against their local rivals with goals from Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo helping secure Los Blancos their record 10th European crown.

Since then it is Diego Simeone's side who have had the edge when the two teams have met.

The Madrid giants have met six times already this campaign with the Rojiblancos having won four of those meetings and the other two ending in draws.

The most recent clash saw Simeone's side run out 4-0 winners in La Liga and despite finding themselves eight points behind their rivals domestically, Atletico may hold the psychological edge going into the first-leg clash at the Vicente Calderon.

The other Spanish side left in the competition is Barcelona and the La Liga leaders take on French champions Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight in a repeat of the meeting between the two sides at the same stage of the competition two years ago.

On that occasion the Catalan giants prevailed on away goals and it was an equally tight affair when the two met in the group stages of this year's competition, with PSG winning 3-2 in Paris and Barca prevailing 3-1 at the Camp Nou.

The Parisians, who will be without the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the first leg at the Parc des Princes, will be buoyed by their extra-time victory over Chelsea in the last round as they bid to repeat their exploits of the 1994/95 season when they knocked Barca out of the competition on their way to the semi-finals.

The third quarter-final pits two former champions against each other with Porto taking on Bayern Munich in a repeat of the 1987 final.

On that occasion the Portuguese side prevailed 2-1 in Vienna, but they go into this season's tie as outsiders against the five-times champions of Europe.

Pep Guardiola's German side have reached at least the semis in each of the previous three seasons and their defeat in the final 28 years ago is their only loss in 22 previous meetings with Portuguese opposition.

Both sides comfortably progressed to the last eight of this year's competition - at the expense of Shakhtar Donetsk and Basel respectively - but a much tighter affair is likely when they go head to head for a place in the final four.

The last of quarter-final match-up sees the remaining Italian team in this year's competition, Juventus, take on Ligue 1 side Monaco.

The two teams met at the semi-final stage of the tournament in 1998 with the Old Lady prevailing 6-4 on aggregate. Massimiliano Allegri's side have crept under radar on their run to the last eight of this year's competition.

The Italian champions were impressive during their last-16 clash with Borussia Dortmund, winning both legs in a 5-1 aggregate success, and will fancy their chances against Leonardo Jardim's side, who prevailed on away goals against Arsenal in the last round.

The French side made a slow start to the campaign domestically but have only lost one of their last 13 league matches in the league and will be hoping to continue their form against Juventus.

Monaco have history on their side having never lost a match against Italian opposition in Monte Carlo, but it could be a tough task for Les Rouges et Blancs to overcome the Old Lady over two legs.

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