Champions League: El Clasico in quarter-final?

Published on 15/03/2013 01:51

REAL Madrid and Barcelona could come face to face in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with the Spanish top flight providing three of the eight teams left in the competition.

Malaga joined La Liga’s traditional giants in the quarter-finals after overcoming Porto in the last 16, giving Spain the highest share of last-eight participants in the Champions League since England had four in the 2008-09 season.

The draw takes place at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon today and will be completely open, raising the prospect of Barca and Real being drawn together.

Juventus have reached the quarter-finals for the first time in seven years, while Borussia Dortmund and Paris St Germain are making their return to this stage of competition for the first time this century. The first leg ties will on 2-3 April, with the return legs on 9-10 April.

LAST EIGHT

Barcelona

Coach: Tito Vilanova

Star man: Lionel Messi

Winners 1992, 2006, 2009, 2011

Bayern Munich

Coach: Jupp Heynckes

Star man: Franck Ribery

Winners 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001.

Borussia Dortmund

Coach: Jurgen Klopp

Star man: Robert Lewandowski

Winners 1997

Galatasaray

Coach: Fatih Terim

Star man: Didier Drogba

Previous best: Semi-finals 1989

Juventus

Coach: Antonio Conte

Star man: Arturo Vidal

Winners: 1985, 1996

Malaga

Coach: Manuel Pellegrini

Star man: Isco

Previous best: Debut

Paris St Germain

Coach: Carlo Ancelotti

Star man: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Previous best: Semi-final 1995

Real Madrid

Coach: Jose Mourinho

Star man: Cristiano Ronaldo

Winners 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002.