Chelsea, Man United Paired in quarterfinals

Malta Independent Saturday, 19 March 2011, 00:00 Last update: about 16 years ago

Chelsea will play English rivals Manchester United and nine-time winners Real Madrid were paired with Tottenham in yesterday’s draw for the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Favourites Barcelona will meet Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, arguably the weakest team left in Europe’s elite club competition, and defending champions Inter will take on Schalke.

If Spanish rivals Barcelona and Madrid both progress, they would meet in the semi-finals. They already play each other twice next month, first in the league and then in the final of the Copa del Rey.

The first legs of the quarter-finals take place on 5-6 April, with the return matches a week later.

Madrid, coached by two-time Champions League winner Jose Mourinho, are through to the last eight for the first time since 2004. It will be up against a Spurs team which finished at the top of its group, above Inter, and eliminated Milan in the last 16 in their first season in the competition.

Chelsea’s pairing with United means England’s two most successful clubs in recent years will play three times in the space of a month, as they also meet in the Premier League on 7 May.

United beat Chelsea on penalties in the 2008 final in Moscow to become European champions for the third time.

Barcelona have lost just once in the Champions League and once in the Spanish league this season, making Pep Guardiola’s side the favourites for the trophy.

Shakhtar topped their group and beat Roma 6-2 in the first knockout round, so will not be taken lightly by Barcelona.

Inter will play a German team for the second straight round, having beaten Bayern Munich in the last 16 in a repeat of the 2010 final in Madrid.

The Italian champions, who are looking to become the first club to successfully defend the Champions League in its current format, lost to Schalke on penalties in the final of the 1997 UEFA Cup - a competition now called the Europa League.

“Getting the Champions League winner is a tough draw but maybe it’s a good omen that we were already victorious against Inter in 1997,” said Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, whose team beat Valencia in the last 16.

“It could be an advantage that the first leg is away, but we know what happened to Bayern.”

Felix Magath guided Schalke to the quarter-finals but was replaced as coach this week by Ralf Rangnick, with the team languishing in mid-table in the Bundesliga.Chelsea will play English rivals Manchester United and nine-time winners Real Madrid were paired with Tottenham in yesterday’s draw for the quarterfinals of the Champions League.