Champions League Quarter Finals Announced

Liverpool and Chelsea face off against each other again.

The quarter finals for the Champions League have just been drawn, with an all English Premiership clash between Liverpool and Chelsea the centrepiece of the showdowns.

Arsene Wenger’s struggling Arsenal side have probably been gifted the easiest of the draws of the English sides, squaring off against Spanish side Villarreal.

Manchester United won a home draw against FC Porto, the side which knocked them out of the competition a few years ago.

The Champions League Quarter Final Draw:

Villarreal CF v. Arsenal FC

Manchester United v. FC Porto

Liverpool FC v. Chelsea FC

FC Barcelona v. Bayern Munich

The only quarter final clash not to include an English side was FC Barcelona v. Bayern Munich. Barcelona have been sparkling this season and are still one of the favourites to lift the trophy. Bayern were sensational in their last round against Sporting Lisbon with their three forwards slotting in 12 goals between them over two legs.

It will be the Premiership battle between Liverpool and Chelsea that will grab the headlines however. The two sides have a bitter rivalry in this competition, and Chelsea – having come so close last year to winning the Champions League against Manchester United – will be desperate to overcome Liverpool this time.

Liverpool have hit a purple patch of form at just the right time in the season though. They demolished nine-times winners Real Madrid 5-0 over two legs in the last round and beat Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford last weekend. This will be a heated match-up, no question about that.

The draw was also confirmed for the semi-finals of the competition, where the winner of the Manchester United/Porto match will face the winner of Villarreal/Arsenal match. With the dominance of the English sides, you could expect a Manchester United v. Arsenal semi-final.

On the other side of the draw, the winners of the Liverpool/Chelsea clash will face either Barcelona or Bayern. This one is much tougher to call, but if history is anything to go by, then it could be a Liverpool v. Barcelona semi.

The quarter-final matches will take place on 7/8 April with the return legs on 14/15 April.

By Burt Ernstein posted March 20, 2009 4:30 AM