How did Champions League team coaches react to the quarterfinal draw?

2024-03-16 15:22 © REY/MARCA/SIPA

On Friday, the remaining draw for the Champions League was conducted at the UEFA headquarters, which divided the teams into quarterfinal pairs and overall into the knockout tree.

What did the coaches of the teams say after the draw?

Madrid "Atletico" - Dortmund "Borussia"

"Atletico" coach Diego Simeone emphasized the importance of the first match: "We will play against a tough opponent, the Germans are always strong, the atmosphere in the return leg will be great, so we need to play good first match against a team that is in a similar situation as us will not be easy."

"Borussia" coach Edin Terzic agreed with his colleague from Madrid: "We are looking forward to it. The draw was interesting. We can't wait to go to Madrid, where we will meet a strong opponent. Atletico in the knockout stages is a completely different beast that needs to be defeated. We need to achieve a result in Madrid and then create a similar magical night in Dortmund as it happened two days ago."

The first match will take place on April 10, the second on April 16.

Barcelona - PSG

Xavi before the start of the series says that Barcelona are the underdogs: "They are probably the favorites, simply because of the large sums spent on transfers in recent years, but on our side we have a history with many Champions League trophies. This is one of the toughest opponents, but I am sure we have enough arguments to fight against them.

PSG coach Luis Enrique has not given an official comment yet. However, according to the Spanish press, the coach wanted to face his former team "Barcelona" in the quarterfinals.

The first match will take place on April 10 in Paris, the second on April 16 in Barcelona.

Madrid "Real" - "Manchester City"

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola called Real the kings of this tournament: "It's becoming a tradition, for the third year in a row we will play against the tournament kings. Real Madrid is a tough opponent, but it would have been the same with Barcelona, Bayern, Arsenal, any club, including Atletico. This tournament is very difficult, so I thought: "Our opponent is Real Madrid? Good. We will try to win again, that's it."

C. Ancelotti said: "I can't imagine if anyone in the Manchester City club is worried about these draws. We are optimistic, not worried. We will play with great confidence. One year we won, the next year they triumphed, we will see. We are hungry and in better condition than ever.

Real's coach also revealed that in the quarterfinals against Manchester City, the royal club can already count on Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois, who have been absent from the lineup since the start of the season.

The first match will take place on April 9 in Madrid, the second on April 17 in Manchester.

London "Arsenal" - Munich "Bayern"

Bayern's coach Thomas Tuchel singled out Arsenal as one of the best teams in Europe: "Against us is certainly the most difficult path imaginable - now we will play against one of the best teams in Europe. Arsenal has been playing high-level football consistently for two years. It is an incredible, dangerous team that scores many goals, but we will be prepared. We know our qualities."

Since Arsenal does not play official matches this weekend, Mikel Arteta did not provide his comments.

The first match will take place on April 9 in London, the return leg on April 17 in Munich.