The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals draw pots were divided as follows: Barcelona made Pot 1 alongside German Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund, Italian Serie A titleholders Juventus and French giants PSG. Pot 2 eventually saw Spain’s two other representatives – Malaga and Real Madrid – join 2010 and 2012 UEFA Champions League finalists Bayern Munich and Turkish titans Galatasaray.
Malaga-Borussia Dortmund
Malaga were the first to get out of the hat. They avoided the bad luck of meeting Barcelona but they will have to deal with Borussia Dortmund. The latter know how it is like to defeat Real Madrid and they will be favourites to progress past Manuel Pellegrini’s inexperienced and tricky Spanish side.
Real Madrid-Galatasaray
Meanwhile, there is a long way to go for Real Madrid to lift their 10th UEFA Champions League title. Led by manager Jose Mourinho and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, Los Blancos will need to defeat the hostile atmosphere created by Galatasaray. The matchup between Didier Drogba, Wesley Sneijder and current top scorers Cristiano Ronaldo and Burak Yilmaz will definitely spice up the quarter-finals.
PSG-Barcelona
Barcelona have never looked more confident in 2013 than presently. They closed the mouths of critics by trouncing AC Milan 4-0 with a perfect performance at the Camp Nou. It will take a lot of courage for Paris Saint-Germain to kick out four-time UEFA Champions League winners Barcelona in the quarter-finals this season. However, never underestimate the desire of the oil-rich French club to become a true elite in Europe. To be the best, you have to beat the best.
Bayern Munich-Juventus
Bayern Munich instantly lost their tag of UEFA Champions League favourites in the eyes of the public following the poor display that saw them lose 2-0 at home to Arsenal. The Germans qualified thanks to the away goals rule but they will need to drastically improve if they want to go one better than in 2010 and 2012 when they lost in the final at the Santiago Bernabeu and the Allianz Arena respectively. Can Bayern Munich knock out Antonio Conte’s rampant Juventus?
The dream of clinching glory at Wembley continues for Barcelona, Bayern, Dortmund, Galatasaray, Juventus, Malaga, PSG and Real Madrid. One thing is certain: no English club will enjoy the Wembley party in London come May 2013.
LiveSoccerTV.com’s live stream and TV schedules data team will have a full list of information listed by country for each of these four 2012/13 UEFA Champions League quarter-final ties.
