Potter’s Chelsea to face Real Madrid, Pep’s City drawn with Bayern

Graham Potter’s Chelsea have been paired with Champions League holders Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, while Pep Guardiola faces a reunion with former club Bayern Munich for Manchester City.

Both Premier League sides will meet each other in the semi-final, should both Chelsea and City advance through their last-eight ties.

Meanwhile, there will be an all-Italian derby in the quarter-finals as Serie A champions AC Milan face current leaders Napoli, while Inter Milan will take on Benfica.

Champions League quarter-final draw in full:

First legs on April 11 or April 12, second legs April 18 or April 19

Real Madrid vs Chelsea

Benfica vs Inter Milan

Manchester City vs Bayern Munich

AC Milan vs Napoli

Champions League semi-final draw in full:

First legs on May 9 or May 10, second legs May 16 or May 17

AC Milan or Napoli vs Benfica or Inter Milan

Real Madrid or Chelsea vs Manchester City or Bayern Munich

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Chelsea played Real Madrid in the Champions League last season

The first legs of the quarter-finals will take place on April 11 and 12, with the return fixtures on April 18 and 19.

Meanwhile, the semi-final first-legs are due to happen on May 9 and May 10, with the return legs on May 16 and May 17.

Chelsea beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on aggregate in their last-16 tie, but now face a major task to reach the last four against holders Real.

The Blues exited last season’s Champions League to Real at the same stage – losing the first-leg 3-1 at Stamford Bridge before putting in a valiant outing at the Santiago Bernabeu,

Chelsea, then managed by Thomas Tuchel, went 3-0 up to lead the tie but goals from Rodrygo and Karim Benzema – the latter strike coming in extra-time – saw the Blues crash out 5-4 on aggregate.

Meanwhile, Man City manager Guardiola will face a familiar foe in former side Bayern – the club he won seven major titles with between 2013 and 2016, including three Bundesliga titles.

City and Bayern also have a connection through Joao Cancelo, who will be able to play against his parent club after moving on loan to the German side, with an option to make the deal permanent for around £60m.

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Pep Guardiola managed Bayern Munich between 2013 and 2016

Should Chelsea and City go on to meet each other in the Champions League last four, it will lead to six meetings between the two clubs in this season alone.

Both Premier League clubs were paired against each other in the third rounds of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup earlier this season.

Potter excited by Madrid test but focused on Everton

Chelsea boss Graham Potter is excited by the prospect of facing reigning champions Real Madrid in the last eight but insists his focus is firmly on this weekend’s Premier League clash with Everton.

The Blues were drawn against the reigning champions in Friday’s draw, with the winners facing Manchester City or Bayern Munich in the semis.

It follows footage of Potter earlier this week drawing cheers from Chelsea supporters at a fan event by saying they would try to “win the ******* Champions League”.

“Well, I said we would try to win the Champions League and that’s the same I’m sure for the other seven clubs as well,” he said at his press conference.

“The other clubs will say you can lose in the quarter-final, because that’s the nature of the Champions League.

“We’ll focus on Real Madrid when we get there but at the moment it’s Everton.

“The feeling is excited but as I said, I’d rather speak about Everton because that game is tomorrow and the other stuff is a long way away.”

Can Cancelo face Man City?

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Joao Cancelo left Guardiola’s Man City to join Bayern Munich on loan in Janua

Manchester City have confirmed that Cancelo is eligible to face them.

Cancelo joined Bayern Munich on loan in January after becoming dissatisfied with his number of minutes at City.

Since moving to the Allianz Arena, the Portuguese international has started four out of Bayern’s six Bundesliga matches – but only played 49 minutes of their two-legged victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16.

Opta stats on Chelsea and Man City draws

  • Chelsea have only lost one of their seven games against Real Madrid in European competition – indeed, they have the lowest percentage of losses against Real Madrid (14%) of any side to have played them 5+ times in Europe.
  • Chelsea’s only defeat in seven matches against Real Madrid in Europe came in their most recent one at Stamford Bridge, losing 1-3 in the 2021-22 quarter-final first leg.
  • Real Madrid have won their last four UEFA Champions League ties against English sides, beating Chelsea in last season’s quarter-final, Manchester City in last season’s semi-finals and Liverpool in last season’s final and this season’s round of 16.
  • All six previous meetings between Man City and Bayern Munich came in the UEFA Champions League group stages (2011-12, 2013-14, 2014-15), with each side winning three times.
  • This will be Pep Guardiola’s first meeting with Bayern Munich since leaving the club. His only managerial games against them came in the 2008-09 Champions League quarter-finals, knocking them out with Barcelona en route to lifting the trophy.
  • Man City have progressed from all four of their previous UEFA Champions League knockout ties against German clubs, including one quarter-final (2020-21 v Borussia Dortmund).

Napoli ease past Frankfurt to reach CL quarter-finals for first time

Napoli beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 on Wednesday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in the club’s history – and making it three Italian teams in the final eight.

Victor Osimhen continued his fine scoring record with a goal in each half and Piotr Zielinski converted a penalty in the second half as Napoli advanced 5-0 on aggregate.

It is the first time since 2006 that three Italian teams have progressed to the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club competition.

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Piotr Zielinski converted a penalty in the second half

There are no further restrictions on teams from the same country facing each other so Napoli could be pitted against Inter Milan or AC Milan when the draw is made on Friday.

The other teams in the final eight are Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Trouble in the streets of the city between supporters marred the evening but on the pitch it was one-way traffic as a Piotr Zielinski penalty sealed victory for the Serie A leaders.

Napoli were always favourites to advance after a good win in Germany and Osimhen’s fine header on the stroke of half-time sent them on their way.

A close-range finish after the restart all-but secured safe passage before Zielinksi won and scored a spot-kick.

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Eintracht Frankfurt and Napoli fans have clashed ahead of their Champions League tie at the Armando Diego Maradona stadium.

Opta stats: A historic night for Napoli…

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Napoli have reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in the club’s history

  • Napoli have qualified for the quarter-finals of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history.
  • Napoli’s win tonight marks the joint-biggest aggregate victory by an Italian team in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, along with Juventus 5-0 Celtic in 2012-13, and Milan 5-0 Intern in 2004-05 (one of those legs was an awarded victory to Milan).
  • Following Napoli’s progression, and along with Intern and Milan, this is the first time that as many as three Italian teams have qualified for the quarter-finals in a UEFA Champions League campaign since 2005-06 (Inter, Milan and Juventus).
  • Napoli have scored more goals in the UEFA Champions League than any other team this season (25) – indeed, only three Italian sides have ever netted more in a single campaign in the competition (Juventus 30 in 2002-03, Inter 26 in 2002-03 and Lazio 26 in 1999-00).
  • Victor Osimhen became the first Napoli player to score in both legs of a UEFA Champions League knockout stage tie, while his brace in this game was the first scored by a Nigerian player in the knockout stages of the competition.
  • Among all players within the big five European leagues, only Marcus Rashford (15) has scored more goals across all competitions in 2023 than Napoli’s Victor Osihmen (13).
  • Eintracht Frankfurt lost both legs of a knockout stage tie in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League for the first time, while two of their five defeats across the two competitions have now been against Napoli.

When is the draw?

The draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals take place at 11am UK time on Friday, March 17 in Nyon, Switzerland at UEFA’s headquarters.

The eight last-16 winners are involved in an open quarter-final and semi-final draw.

There are no seedings and no country protection, so clubs can face opposition from the same country. They can also draw teams they previously played in the group stage.

A final draw will also take place to determine the ‘home’ side for administrative reasons for the showpiece event in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10.

You can follow the draw with Sky Sports’ live blog, so you can keep across everything right here.

All you need to know about Friday’s CL quarter-final and semi-final draws

With Chelsea guaranteed a Champions League quarter-final spot, and with Manchester City and Liverpool still battling to make it through, find out when the draw for the last eight and the semi-finals will take place, and who will be involved.

Chelsea are the only English side through to the quarter-finals so far after overcoming Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on aggregate in the last 16.

Manchester City and Liverpool are the other Premier League teams who can still reach the quarters, with both teams playing their second legs this week.

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Chelsea defeated Borussia Dortmund in the last 16

City face RB Leipzig on Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium after Pep Guardiola’s side were held to a 1-1 draw in Germany in the first leg.

Liverpool, meanwhile, face a Herculean task in their bid to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit against defending champions Real Madrid, with the second leg taking place on Wednesday at the Bernabeu.

But Tottenham will not be involved in the draw after limping out to AC Milan 1-0 on aggregate.

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AC Milan knocked out Tottenham to reach the quarter-finals

Bayern Munich and Benfica are also through, with Inter Milan or Porto and Eintracht Frankfurt or Napoli hoping to join them in the last eight.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of the quarter-final and semi-final draws…

When are the quarter-final and semi-final draws?

The draws take place at 11am UK time on Friday, March 17 in Nyon, Switzerland at UEFA’s headquarters.

You can follow the draw with Sky Sports’ live blog, so you can keep across everything right here.

How do the draws work?

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The Champions League quarter-final and semi-final draws take place on Friday at 11am

The eight last-16 winners are involved in an open quarter-final and semi-final draw.

There are no seedings and no country protection, so clubs can face opposition from the same country. They can also draw teams they previously played in the group stage.

A final draw will also take place to determine the ‘home’ side for administrative reasons for the showpiece event in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10.

Who will be in the quarter-final and semi-final draws?

  • AC Milan
  • Bayern Munich
  • Benfica
  • Chelsea
  • Manchester City or RB Leipzig (1-1 after first leg)
  • Napoli or Eintracht Frankfurt (2-0 after first leg)
  • Porto or Inter Milan (0-1 after first leg)
  • Real Madrid or Liverpool (5-2 after first leg)

When are the quarter-finals?

The first legs of the quarter-finals will be played Tuesday, April 11 and Wednesday, April 12.

The second legs will be played Tuesday, April 18 and Wednesday, April 19.

When are the semi-finals?

The first legs of the semi-finals will be held on May 9 and 10, and the second legs on May 16 and 17.

When is the final?

The final takes place on June 10 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

Man Utd target Osimhen speaks of Premier League ‘dream’

Victor Osimhen has raised Premier League eyebrows after the red-hot Napoli striker admitted he dreams of testing himself in England’s top flight.

The 24-year-old has been in electric form for his club this season, scoring 19 times in 21 games in Serie A and acting as the catalyst for Napoli’s sensational campaign, which sees them top the division by 15 points.

Those displays have won him admirers around Europe, with Manchester United among his potential suitors when the summer transfer window opens. Erik ten Hag’s side have already laid groundwork for his signing.

Speaking to the press on the back of a surprise 1-0 defeat to Lazio on Friday, Osimhen will have only raised interest from any sides in the English top flight by admitting his desire to play in the Premier League.

“I think playing in one of the top five leagues in the world is an amazing feeling for me,” he said after being named ‘Best Foreign Athlete of the Year’ by the Italian Foreign Press Association.

“A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league but now I’m in one of the best leagues in the world which is the Italian Serie A.

“I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League some day but like I said, it’s a process and I just want to keep on this momentum and continue to do well.”

Manchester United are looking for a striker to join the club in the summer following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in December, with loanee Wout Weghorst set to return to Burnley at the end of the season.

Sky Sports News senior reporter Melissa Reddy says there is plenty of interest in Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who will enter the final 12 months of his Spurs contract in July, but also reports that Osimhen’s age makes him a better fit for the profile of player United want to sign.

She said: “There’s obvious reasons for the Harry Kane attraction from Manchester United – not least rekindling the offensive chemistry between him and Christian Eriksen – but my understanding is that ideally, United would like a younger, dynamic profile there as first prize like Osimhen.”

Premier League interest in Osimhen pre-dates his move to Napoli. Sky Sports reported Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea were tracking the then-Lille forward’s progress as far back as 2019.

He only spent one year in Ligue 1 but an 18-goal season was enough to convince Napoli to part with up to €80m (£71m) to bring him to Serie A.

Analysis: Osimhen would be perfect fit in Premier League

Sky Italia’s Filippo Benincampi told Sky Sports News:

“He’s outstanding, an outstanding player. I haven’t seen a player like him in Serie A since the good old days. He has everything; he’s got pace, he’s strong, he’s hungry.

“He scores with headers, left foot, right foot, you saw it against Frankfurt where he scored twice but one was ruled out.

“He wears a mask because he got a very bad injury, and you think if you get an injury like that you’ll be afraid of duels – but not him.

“He’s the perfect Premier League fit. He’s got all the qualities required, he’s very strong, the tempo is high.

“He’s demolishing the Italian league because the tempo is a bit slower, but in the Premier League with all that pace, the speed, the qualities and mentality – I think he’ll be perfect.”

Atleti frustrate Real | Borussia Dortmund go top | Napoli win again

Ten-man Atletico Madrid dealt a blow to Real Madrid’s LaLiga title hopes as they held the defending champions to a 1-1 draw at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

After substitute Angel Correa had received a straight red card in the 64th minute for an elbow to the chest of defender Antonio Rudiger, Jose Maria Gimenez gave Atletico the lead when he netted a header from an Antoine Griezmann free-kick in the 78th minute.

However, 18-year-old Alvaro Rodriguez levelled the match seven minutes later with a header from a Luka Modric corner.

Real Madrid are second in the LaLiga standings on 52 points, seven behind leaders Barcelona who face lowly Almeria on Sunday. Atletico are fourth on 42 points.

A goal by striker Victor Osimhen and an own goal by Empoli defender Ardian Ismajli earned 10-man Napoli a 2-0 away win in Serie A, extending their lead over second-placed Inter Milan to a staggering 18 points.

Napoli dominated the clash from the outset and pushed mid-table Empoli enough to pressure Ismajli into opening the scoring with an own goal in the 17th minute.

Osimhen made it 2-0 for Napoli just before the half-hour mark, tapping in a rebound from close range after Empoli ‘keeper Guglielmo Vicario had parried a strike by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia right into the Nigerian’s path.

The visitors were left with 10 men in the 67th minute after defender Mario Rui received a direct red for a foul on Empoli striker Francesco Caputo.

Napoli remain top of the standings on 65 points. Empoli are 12th on 28 points.

Julian Brandt was on target as Borussia Dortmund held on to move top of the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win against Hoffenheim.

It was Dortmund’s ninth win from nine games across all competitions this year and enough for the team to move three points clear of 10-time defending champions Bayern Munich and surprise challengers Union Berlin.

Bayern, who have seen their four-point lead disappear since the winter break, host Union on Sunday.

Brandt scored for the fourth consecutive league game for Dortmund. Marco Reus whipped in a free-kick and Brandt bent forward so that the ball skimmed off his back and in after 43 minutes.

Marius Wolf thought he had made it 2-0 with a powerful strike inside the near post, but the goal was chalked off by the VAR for an apparent foul by Nico Schlotterbeck on Ihlas Bebou.

The loss was American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s third consecutive defeat since taking over at Hoffenheim.

Elsewhere, Hertha Berlin climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win over Augsburg in snowy conditions in the capital.

Marco Richter broke the deadlock with a shot from distance in the 61st minute, nine minutes before Dodi Lukebakio sealed what was only Hertha’s fifth win of the season.

Earlier on Saturday, Leipzig held on to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1, Cologne lost 2-0 at home to Wolfsburg, and Werder Bremen enjoyed a 3-0 win over Bochum.