Africa
HOLDERS Real Madrid have been drawn to face Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals, while Manchester City will play Bayern Munich.
The winner of those two ties will face each other in the semifinals, which was also drawn on Friday in Nyon, Switzerland.
Madrid knocked out Chelsea in last year’s quarterfinal in dramatic fashion amid a spirited second-leg comeback from the Premier League club.
Pep Guardiola is looking to guide City to their first-ever Champions League title but must face a return to Munich to do so. The Spanish coach spent three years as Bayern head coach between 2013 and 2016 and faces stiff competition in Julian Nagelsmann’s side, who knocked out Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round.
Elsewhere, this season’s knockout stages sees three Italian teams featuring in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2006.
Inter Milan will take on Benfica in the quarterfinals, while their local rivals AC Milan were drawn to face Serie A leaders Napoli.
The quarterfinal first legs will take place between April 11-12, with the return legs held between April 18-19. The semifinals will be staged on May 9-10 and May 16-17.
This year’s final will be held at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10.
UCL quarterfinal draw:
Real Madrid (Spain) vs. Chelsea (England)
Inter Milan (Italy) vs. SL Benfica (Portugal)
Manchester City (England) vs. Bayern Munich (Germany)
AC Milan (Italy) vs. Napoli (Italy)
UCL semifinal draw:
Real Madrid/Chelsea vs. Manchester City/ Bayern Munich
AC Milan/Napoli vs. Inter Milan/ SL Benfica
