Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid were kept apart in the draw for the Champions League quarter and semi-finals here on Friday, setting up the possibility of a final showdown between the two in Munich.
Real Madrid got the draw everyone wanted in the shape of Cypriot minnows APOEL Nicosia, while defending champions Barcelona landed Italian powerhouse AC Milan.
Sole English survivors Chelsea will take on Benfica of Portugal, while the remaining tie sees Marseille up against Germany’s Bayern Munich.
Both Barcelona and arch-rivals Real have advanced to the last eight of the competition without really being tested and given the size of the gap between them and the rest of the continent, the feeling was that only the draw could prevent them from meeting in the final itself on May 19.
That did not happen but Real coach Jose Mourinho will be happier than his Barcelona counterpart Pep Guardiola at having drawn APOEL — the first club from the Mediterranean island ever to reach the last eight of the Champions League.
Six of the quarter-finalists are previous winners of Europe’s premier club trophy, with APOEL and Chelsea being the two exceptions.
After the routs of the two Manchester clubs and Arsenal, Chelsea saved face for the English by squeezing into the last eight in extra-time at the expense of Italy’s Napoli having lost the first leg 3-1.
Interim coach Roberto Di Matteo will not be disappointed by the prospect of taking on outsiders Benfica, who are back in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2006.
The club’s chief executive Ron Gourlay said: “I think it’s a good one for us.
“It doesn’t matter who you get at this stage, it’s going to be a difficult game but I think it was important for us to get the away game first and then hopefully build the foundation from there. So, I think we’re pleased.
“With Ramires and David Luiz they’ll know quite a bit about the club and also we know quite a lot about Benfica from the fact they topped Manchester United’s group. They’re a very, very strong side and we’re looking forward to the upcoming games.”
Marseille, who are back in the last eight for the first time since they won the trophy in Munich in 1993, will start as underdogs against in-form Bayern, who defeated FC Basel 7-1 over two legs to go through.
The French club’s president Vincent Labrune said the match against Bayern would be “very, very difficult” and that he had feared drawing the German side in the last eight.
“Our German friends are happier than us,” he told Eurosport. “But we have to try our luck to the maximum and continue to dream.”
Quarter-final draw for the UEFA Champions League:
APOEL v Real Madrid (A)
Marseille v Bayern Munich (B)
Benfica v Chelsea (C)
AC Milan v Barcelona (D)
Matches to be played on March 27, 28 and April 3, 4
Past Results of Champions League 2011-2012
Semi-finals
Winner of B v winner of A
Winner of C v winner of D
Matches to be played April 17, 18 and April 24, 25
Final to be played in Munich on May 19.
They are the current leading soccer tipsters in this month competition. See also tipsters rankings.
MEMI
posts a 1X2 tip on Atalanta vs Liverpool 3 minutes ago |
|
MEMI
posts a 1X2 tip on Roma vs Milan 3 minutes ago |
|
fncscgfour
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on Hapoel Ra'anana W vs Maccabi Kishronot Hadera W 7 minutes ago |
|
thrashermcfc
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on Otelul vs Universitatea Cluj 25 minutes ago |
|
hsvadrian
posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Argentinos Juniors Res. vs River Plate Res. 44 minutes ago |
|
aderinola1997
posts a Both Teams to Score tip on Atalanta vs Liverpool 47 minutes ago |
|
aderinola1997
posts a Both Teams to Score tip on Olympique Marseille vs Benfica 47 minutes ago |
|
aderinola1997
posts a Both Teams to Score tip on Roma vs Milan 47 minutes ago |
|
aderinola1997
posts a Both Teams to Score tip on West Ham United vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen 47 minutes ago |
|
aderinola1997
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on NoPS vs P-Iirot 51 minutes ago |
Upcoming football matches with excellent head to head records over their opponents.
ASA Tel Aviv vs Kiryat Gat W |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs who play better for their home games H2H.
Al Shabab vs Abha |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs that play well for their away games.
ASA Tel Aviv vs Kiryat Gat W |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Motivated teams after winning five matches in a row or they have maintained a ten-match unbeaten run. The bookmakers label them as favourites for a reason.
Teams in crisis after five consecutive defeats or they did not win their last ten football matches. You should avoid betting on these underdogs.
Teams having a draw in the last five matches.
This tipsters ranking is based on single picks excluding doubles and multi accumulators. For the full ranking click here.
Tipsters with consecutive winnings in their recent predictions.
Tipsters whom have lost a few matches in a row. Bad luck you call it.
I like soccer punter because it's free, enjoyable and no risk taking, you just give out your predictions without any charges,also it gives rewards to its members and upgrade them to platninum levels.
From as little as $1 per soccer tip.
|
Arbitrage is an effective way to make guaranteed profits without losing your money.
Analyze soccer matches, inclusive of past results, head to head stats, today match fixtures, live soccer odds, players and team form.
Check the latest and fastest live score results for all football matches. Know who are the goalscorers, yellow card and red card offenders.
Read up these useful tips for soccer betting.
Get the listings of soccer leagues and competitions for each region, including past seasons results and football statistics.
Want to bet on a match today? Check out the list of today match fixtures.
Read MoreGet the match results for all the soccer matches around the globe. Inclusive of half-time, full-time results.
Read MoreAre you an expert in soccer betting? Join SoccerPunter Tipsters competition to challenge against the top football tipsters and win prizes!
Read MoreCopyright © 2002-2024 SoccerPunter Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Be the first to comment: