After a draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Real Madrid will face Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals. The winner of Real Madrid and Chelsea’s match will face the winner of Manchester City – Atlético Madrid in the semi-finals on one side of the Champions League group. The ailing champions Chelsea drew 13-time winners Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals on Friday, while Manchester City will play Atlético Madrid. A repeat of last year’s Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid taking on Chelsea and Manchester City taking on Atlético Madrid for the first-ever match.
Meanwhile, La Liga champions Atletico Madrid will take on second-placed and last year’s Premier League champions Manchester City. It will be another game between England and Spain, with Atletico Madrid taking on Premier League champions Manchester City, with managers Guardiola and Diego Simeone facing off against each other. Diego Simeone’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford takes Simeone’s side to the quarter-finals, won 2-1 on aggregate, now Guardiola and Diego Simeone – can Say to be two of the best coaches in world football – will go head to head.
The interest rest means the Chelsea boss will face a reunion with former manager Carlo Ancelotti, who won the Premier League and FA title from 2009 to 2011, with a double in two years at Stamford Bridge. Thomas Tuchel won two semi-finals last season, beat Guardiola’s City in the final at Porto and lifted the Champions League trophy for the second time under Russian boss Roman Abramovich.
With the semi-final draw taking place simultaneously, defending champions Chelsea and Manchester City know they will meet in the semi-finals if both win the quarter-finals against Spanish rivals, but 13-time Champions League winners Real Madrid are quite a possibility at this stage. The Quarter-final draw put Manchester City and Liverpool on opposite sides of the group, setting them up for a possible showdown for the UCL Final if they get to that point. Whoever wins the second half of Friday’s UEFA Champions League draw will be the “home” team in Paris on Saturday, 28 May.
In connection with the semi-final draw, it was confirmed that the winners of the two Madrid derbies would face each other for a place in the final. UEFA held a semi-final draw once the quarter-final matches were determined, paving the way for each club and the opponents they would face in each remaining stage. The semi-final draw could unite last year’s finalists or see a rematch of the 2014 and 2016 finals. Defending European champions Chelsea edged out Real Madrid in the semi-finals 12 months ago, and they will have to repeat those heroic feats against Real Madrid to defend their crown successfully.