Manchester United face the daunting
challenge of knocking out Champions League holders Bayern Munich after
being drawn against the German giants in the quarter-finals.
The
only other remaining Premier League team, Chelsea, face French champions
Paris Saint-Germain after the balls were drawn by Barcelona and Real
Madrid legend Luis Figo in Nyon, Switzerland.
Elsewhere, in an
all-Spanish tie, Barcelona take on surprise package Atletico Madrid and
Real Madrid will play Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund to complete
the draw.
David Moyes' United side turned around a two-goal
deficit against Olympiacos at Old Trafford to progress, but have a far
tougher task if they are to reach the semi-finals.
Moyes, who has
come under increasing pressure after a 3-0 thumping by Liverpool last
weekend, will pit his wits against former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola
at the Allianz Arena in the second leg.
Bayern, who knocked
United out of the competition the last time the two sides met in 2010
through a sensational volley from Arjen Robben, progressed top of a
group containing Manchester City, CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen.
They then went on to ease past Arsenal over two legs in the round of 16.
The
Germans have a sensational record in Europe in recent years. Beaten
finallists in 2012 by Chelsea, they went on to win the competition last
season by beating Dortmund in the Wembley final.
Former manager Jupp Heynckes led his side to a treble and thumped Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate in last season's semi-final.
Ominously
for Moyes and United, Bayern dominated Italian giants Juventus at the
same stage last season, winning 4-0 on aggregate.
But United fans
will fondly remember one of the most glorious nights in their rich
history came when they beat Bayern Munich in Barcelona in 1999 to snatch
Sir Alex Ferguson's first Champions League crown. But the
Treble-winning United 15 years ago look a far-cry from Moyes' team now,
who sit seventh in the Barclays Premier League.
Meanwhile,
Chelsea travel to Paris for their first-leg clash with PSG. A one-on-one
showdown already earmarked as a must-see is the duel between Zlatan
Ibrahimovic and Blues defender John Terry.
Chelsea have faced the French side twice in the competition before, both games coming in the same season 10 years ago.
In
2004, Chelsea travelled to Paris and won 3-0 in the group-stage game
and drew 0-0 in the corresponding game at Stamford Bridge.
The tie will also see Jose Mourinho come up against his former striker Ibrahimovic, who he managed while at Inter Milan.
Ibrahimovic
has spoken of his admiration for Mourinho, saying in his autobiography
that he 'was basically willing to die for' the Portuguese.
The
Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain tie is the battle of two of the
wealthiest clubs in Europe, and the Qatar-based PSG owners will
reportedly pay their players a whopping £820,000 bonus if they overcome
the London club and win the Champions League.
'It's a massive
game,' Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said. 'We have a good balance
between young and experienced players and, in our eye, the top coach in
the world.
'We have a top quality side but we know we'll be playing a Paris Saint-Germain side that has some big individual players.'
Sportsmail's Jamie Redknapp believes United will struggle to overcome Bayern to reach the next stage.
'It
is the toughest draw you could wish to have,' Redknapp said of the
holders on Sky Sports News'Anybody's beatable but at the moment are Man
United capable of doing that? I don't think so.
'Arsenal have proved that teams can go there (to the Allianz Arena) and get results but this year, they just look a better side.
'Listen, they've got nothing to lose. They are going to go there and all the pressure is on Bayern Munich now.'
The first batch of fixtures take place on April 1 and 2 with the second-leg matches coming the following week (April 8 and 9).
Friday, March 21, 2014
Champions League Draw: Man.United Face Daunting Task As Chelsea Draw PSG
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