Champions League draw LIVE: Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City learn fate
The Premier League sides learnt their quarter-final opponents as Chelsea drew Real Madrid, Man City got Atletico and Liverpool will play Benfica
Follow the Champions League quarter-final draw live with the Premier League’s contingent down to three as European champions Chelsea are joined by Liverpool and Man City, who were beaten in last year’s final by the Blues in Porto.
Chelsea drew Real Madrid, Man City got Atletico and Liverpool will play Benfica in the last-eight, with Villarreal v Bayern Munich completing the schedule.
In the last-16, Jurgen Klopp’s side eased past Inter Milan despite losing the second leg at Anfield thanks to a stunner from Lautaro Martinez, while Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions had far too much for Sporting, with Thomas Tuchel masterminding Chelsea past Lille amid off-the-field issues concerning the impending takeover of the club following sanctions from the UK government on Roman Abramovich.
The trio not only discovered their quarter-final opponents, but the route to the final in Paris as well, with the winner of Man City/Atletico Madrid facing Chelsea/Real Madrid in the first semi-final and the winner of Benfica/Liverpool vs Villarreal/Bayern Munich the other last-four clash.
The draw in Nyon, Switzerland, takes place at 11:00 GMT, you can follow live build-up and the latest updates from both the quarter-final and semi-final draw below:
Champions League draw
Deputy General Secretary of UEFA, Giorgio Marchetti, introduces Mikael Silvestre who will be drawing the teams out of the hat.
Silvestre wishes Benfica and Villarreal luck for the rest of the competition.
They’re are the two underdogs to have reached this stage.
Champions League draw
The English teams are ready. Uefa are ready as well. The draw is taking place at House of European Football, in Nyon, Switzerland.
Champions League draw
The stage is set for the Champions League quarter-final and semi-final draws.
Here’s a reminder of the teams that are in the hat:
- Atletico Madrid
- Bayern Munich
- Benfica
- Chelsea
- Liverpool
- Manchester City
- Real Madrid
- Villarreal
Pep Guardiola satisfied with performance as Manchester City held at home
Pep Guardiola reflected with satisfaction after Manchester City formally confirmed their Champions League quarter-final place on Wednesday.
The Premier League leaders had all but secured progress with their 5-0 thrashing of Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their last-16 tie last month but they still needed to finalise the matter in the return.
They did that with little alarm as they played out a routine goalless draw without truly exerting themselves against a side already resigned to elimination.
City boss Guardiola said: “I am very pleased because in both games we deserved to be in the Champions League quarter-finals.
“The first half was much better than the second. We were aggressive, we created chances and we were there.”
Pep Guardiola satisfied with performance as Manchester City held at home
The Premier League leaders drew 0-0 with Sporting Lisbon to win 5-0 on aggregate in the Champions League
‘We are not good losers’: Jurgen Klopp expecting Liverpool reaction to Inter defeat
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits his players take defeat worse than he does and so he expects a reaction after experiencing only their third loss of the season.
The 1-0 Champions League defeat to Inter Milan on Tuesday was offset by the fact a 2-0 first-leg lead meant the team progressed to their fourth quarter-final in five years.
However, it was Liverpool’s first defeat at Anfield in a year and there were muted celebrations at the final whistle.
When it was pointed out to him his side had not lost many matches in the last year, Klopp said: “Enough. More than enough. We are not good losers.
“I have usually after a game a little speech in the dressing room, most of the time it is quite nice to tell the boys how good they were, but in this game it was slightly different.”
‘We are not good losers’: Jurgen Klopp expecting Liverpool reaction to Inter defeat
The Reds take on Brighton this weekend in the Premier League
Former Man Utd and Arsenal star taking part in draw
Mikael Silvestre, former defender for Manchester United and Arsenal, pick be drawing out the teams for the Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals.
Thomas Tuchel focused on on-field success as Chelsea advance in Champions League
Thomas Tuchel had to fight to protect his buoyant mood after seeing Chelsea reach the Champions League quarter-finals when told of potential future fan absences facing the Blues.
Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta netted to send the defending champions into the Champions League last eight with a 4-1 aggregate win over Lille.
Burak Yilmaz fired a penalty for Lille at a raucous Stade Pierre Mauroy but Chelsea hit back to power through after a 2-1 victory on the night in France.
Roman Abramovich’s UK and now EU sanctions amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to bite hard for the Blues, who cannot sell any new tickets to supporters.
Now Uefa expect Chelsea will not be able to have any fans at future Champions League matches while Abramovich is the club’s owner.
Thomas Tuchel focused on on-field success as Chelsea advance in Champions League
The Blues beat Lille 4-1 on aggregate to reach the quarter-finals
Manchester United are out and the Champions League won’t miss them
After vintage Atletico Madrid, there was also vintage faint praise.
“They’re very good,” Diego Simeone said of Manchester United, “but disorganised when they try to create pressure.”
It is as easy to read between the lines as it was for Atletico to disrupt United’s lines. Simeone obviously wanted to display sufficient respect to a great football institution, but couldn’t not help his coach’s realism coming, relaying his understanding that they weren’t a very good team.
United were again shown to not be good enough for this level, losing 1-0 at Old Trafford and 2-1 on aggregate, and the truth is the Champions League latter stages are better off without them.
What would they have added? It would have just been a reality check a bit further down the line. It won’t even miss their stars, such as they are. Some of them are evidently part of the problem.
Manchester United are out and the Champions League won’t miss them
Even had United found a way past a sub-par Atletico it would only have delayed the inevitable reality check later down the line
How does the Champions League draw work?
The draw will set the ties for the quarter-finals and semi-finals, and a draw will also be held to determine the ‘home’ team for the final, for procedural reasons.
Following the quarter-final draw, ties will be numbered 1–4 for the semi-final draw that follows.
The draws are open, so there is no seeding or country protection. Any team can be drawn against any other team and the first team drawn out plays its first match at home, against the second team drawn out.
When will the Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals be held?
Quarter-finals
First legs: 5/6 April
Second legs: 12/13 April
Semi-finals
First legs: 26/27 April
Second legs: 3/4 May
The Champions League final will be held on Saturday 28th May at the Stade de France in Paris.
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