© EuroFootball.com
On Friday in Switzerland, the draws for the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals and semifinals were revealed. Initially, the eight most powerful teams on the continent were divided into quarterfinal pairs, and then found out who they would face for a chance to advance to the final.
The biggest intrigue will be the battle of the champions of Italy and Spain: "Milan" will face "Barcelona". These teams have already faced each other in the group stage, where luck was on the side of the Catalans: after a 2-2 tie in Spain, they secured a victory in Milan with a score of 3-2.
Meanwhile, another favorite, Madrid's "Real", will try to overcome the surprisingly far-reaching humble Cypriot club APOEL from Nicosia. The winner of this pair will compete in the semifinals against "Marseille" or Bayern Munich, so there is a possibility that we will see "El Clasico" - "Real" against "Barcelona" in the Champions League final.
The only English representative, London's "Chelsea", will face one of the strongest Portuguese teams, Lisbon's "Benfica".
The first quarterfinal matches will take place on March 27-28, with the second leg matches scheduled for April 3-4. The semifinals will be held on April 17-18 and 24-25.
Quarterfinal pairs: (the first mentioned team will play the first match at home)
Nicosia APOEL (Cyprus) - Madrid Real (Spain) Marseille (France) - Bayern Munich (Germany) Benfica (Portugal) - Chelsea (England) Milan (Italy) - Barcelona (Spain)
Semifinal pairs: Marseille or Bayern - APOEL or Real Benfica or Chelsea - Milan or Barcelona
