THE ROAD TO Lisbon became a little bit clearer this morning when the draw for the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals took place.
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Champions League quarter-finals (1/2 & 8/9 April)
- Barcelona v Atletico Madrid
- Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund
- Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea
- Manchester United v Bayern Munich
Good morning and welcome to live coverage of the Champions League draw from Nyon.
Eight teams remain in this year’s competition and soon(ish), we’ll know the line-up for this year’s quarter-finals.
Here are the teams still in it:
- England: Chelsea, Manchester United
- Spain: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
- Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund
- France: Paris Saint-Germain
Dave Sharp: “Good quality in the pots with the exception of United!! But I suppose there has to be one whipping boy in the mix!! ;-)”
Just to make one thing clear before we start — this is an open draw with no restrictions. You want to see United v Chelsea or Real v Barca? It’s all fair game this morning.
For the first time in the Champions League era, all eight group winners have made it to the quarter-final stages.
Here’s how the bookies have things priced up ahead of this morning’s draw:
- 2/1 Bayern Munich
- 7/2 Barcelona, Real Madrid
- 10/1 Paris Saint-Germain
- 11/1 Chelsea
- 14/1 Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund
- 16/1 Man United
Before the draw, we ranked each team’s Champions League chances from 1 through to 8. The results may not surprise you too much…
What would be your dream draw? I think I’d go for something like this:
- PSG v Real Madrid (or as it will inevitably become, Zlatan v Ronaldo)
- Chelsea v United
- Barcelona v Bayern (the Guardiola derby)
- Atletico v Dortmund
SHOWTIME! Here’s your friend and mine Gianni Infantino.
(When I say showtime, I mean the draw will begin in about 20 minutes, obviously.)
We’ve had the pre-draw montage, just in case you needed any reminders about the eight teams and their paths to this point.
Luis Figo has entered the building!
His hair is looking magnificent!
A synopsis of proceedings so far
Infantino cracks a joke: ”We’re coming to the moment you are all expecting, which is the technical procedure.”
Ok, I think we’re nearly ready for some drawing…
Barcelona v Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund
Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea
Which leaves Manchester United v Bayern Munich. Yowza!
Here’s that draw in full:
So that’s our lot then. Non-Manchester United fans everywhere will have a bit of a chuckle into their mid-morning coffee but as one supporter has already pointed out “I’d rather be playing Bayern Munich than not in the competition at all.” That’s the spirit.
We’ll have more reaction and analysis over the course of the afternoon.
