Reigning champions Real Madrid have been drawn against 2021 winners Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals, while Manchester City will face Bayern Munich in their last eight games.
The two English sides remaining in the competition will face tough tests if they are to make it into the last four, where they could face each other.
The winner of Real Madrid’s clash with Chelsea will host this clash against either City or Bayern.
In the other half of the draw, Inter Milan faced Portuguese club Benfica, who overcame Club Brugge in the round of 16, while city rivals AC Milan take on the Italian leaders in a Serie A derby against Napoli.
As a result, there could be a Milan derby in the second semi-final should Inter and AC prevail over their opponents in the quarter-finals.
The Champions League draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals took place on Friday
Under pressure Graham Potter must prevail against the reigning champions to progress in the Champions League
Real Madrid will host the first leg of the quarter-finals, beating Chelsea en route to Paris last season
Chelsea have faced the Spanish giants just four times in this competition and actually lead their head-to-head record.
The Blues have two wins to their credit, while Los Blancos achieved their first and only win in the first leg of last season’s quarter-finals.
This season sees the pair meet for the third straight season, with Chelsea beating Real to reach the 2021 final – which they won against Man City – thanks to a win and draw against the Spanish giants.
Real Madrid have relied on goals from Vinicius Jr. in this competition so far, with the Brazilian finding the net six times while Karim Benzema struggled for fitness in the build-up to last year’s World Cup.
Chelsea are now without a player to score or assist three or more times, despite record winter spending on transfers.
Setting up this potential all-English clash is an equally delicious duel for City as they take on record German champions Bayern.
Bayern Munich visit Manchester City as Julian Nagelsmann’s side attempt to reach a Champions League final
Pep Guardiola faces a trip to his former side Bayern, where he won seven trophies in three years
It’s been a far from easy season for Julian Nagelsmann’s side, who are in their own title race with Union Berlin, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, and the two sides share a very even history.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW COMPLETE
QF 1 – Real Madrid vs Chelsea
QF 2 – Benfica vs Inter
QF 3 – Manchester City vs Bayern Munich
QF 4 – AC Milan vs Napoli
Three wins apiece, with City winning the last meeting in 2014-15 to level in the match-up as both teams have three wins to their tally.
It’s also a reunion for Pep Guardiola with the club where he famously failed to win the competition but enjoyed widespread success in all other competitions during his three-year stay at Bayern.
City now face two German sides in back-to-back rounds of the competition after beating RB Leipzig in the preliminary round.
Erling Haaland’s five-goal exploits plus goals from Ilkay Gündogan and Kevin De Bruyne defeated the Red Bulls in an 8-1 aggregate win over the Bundesliga challengers.
As a result, the Norwegian has jumped to the top of the tournament’s goalscoring chart with 10 goals.
Serie A leaders – and favorites for many who make it to the Champions League – Napoli face an Italian derby against reigning top-flight champions AC Milan.
Luciano Spalletti’s side have taken Europe by storm this season, with Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen among the leading stars of the Partenopei in a stunning 2022-23 campaign.
Benfica sped past Club Burgge to set up the last eight clash with Italian giants Inter Milan
Inter meet Benfica after a 0-0 draw in Portugal
Napoli have already won their only league game this season at the San Siro, while the quarter-final draw sees the two sides meet three times in 16 days.
Italian giants Inter travel to Lisbon to take on Benfica, who have finished in the last eight in two consecutive seasons.
Due to the draw, there will be no final between two teams from the same country on June 10 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Turkey.
The first leg of each game will be played on either April 11th or 12th, with the second meeting taking place the following week on April 18th or 19th.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11871993/Chelsea-face-reigning-champions-Real-Madrid-quarter-finals-Man-City-drawn-aga.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 Chelsea meet reigning champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and Man City are drawn again.
