CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAWS
Liverpool and Real Madrid will be re-enacting the final of the UEFA Champion League three years ago, after both team were pitched against each in yesterday’s draw.
The two sides met in the 2018 Champions League final with the Spanish club, who have won the competition a record 13 times, winning 3-1.
The two teams have played each other six times in Europe’s top competition, with both winning three games apiece, including Liverpool’s 1-0 victory in the 1981 final.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah had to go off with a shoulder injury after a challenge with Sergio Ramos during the first half of the 2018 Champions League final against Real Madrid
Their only previous meeting in a knockout tie came in the last 16 in 2009, with Liverpool winning 5-0 on aggregate.
Manchester City have been drawn against Borussia Dortmund, while Chelsea play Porto and defending champions Bayern Munich take on Paris St-Germain, the team they beat in last year’s final.
In the semi-finals, the winner of the Real Madrid v Liverpool tie will face Porto or Chelsea and Manchester City or Dortmund will take on Bayern or PSG.
The two-legged quarter-finals will take place on 6-7 and 13-14 April.
The first legs of the semi-final will be on 27-28 April with the return ties on 4-5 May.
Premier League leaders Manchester City have only met Dortmund twice. Those games came in the group stage of the Champions League in 2012, with the English side drawing 1-1 at home and losing 1-0 in Germany.
City, who are aiming to win the competition for the first time, remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple and could face England winger Jadon Sancho, who left the club in 2017 to join the German side.
Norwegian striker Erling Braut Haaland, the son of former City midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland, also plays for Dortmund and he has scored 20 goals in just 14 Champions League appearances.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” said City boss Guardiola on Haaland. “He is one of the best strikers in the world right now at his age.
“I know the quality of this player, I think everybody knows.”
On speculation linking City with a move for the 20-year-old, Guardiola added: “He’s a player for Dortmund, I don’t like it when people talk about our players, you understand I cannot answer this question.”
Dortmund are fifth in the Bundesliga and replaced manager Lucien Favre with Edin Terzic in December.
“They have a lot of quality there,” said Guardiola. “They were able to go through against Sevilla, who in knockout competition is one of the strongest teams ever.
“Dortmund is tough but all of them would have been.”
Chelsea have played Porto eight times, winning five and losing two, and beat the Portuguese side 3-2 on aggregate in their only knockout tie, which came in the last 16 in 2007.
Porto, who are second in the Portuguese top-flight, knocked out Juventus in the last 16.
“Clearly, many people will maybe make us favourites against Porto but that will not help us,” said Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel. “You can ask in Turin if that helps you to be favourites.
“We are self-confident and that is strongly connected with our performances.
“We are confident that we face a strong opponent and face them with respect, but now we are in the quarter-final we think about how to win it.”
