Barca draw PSG, Juventus tackle Bayern

Champions League quarter-finals draw sees mouthwatering clashes lined up.

NYON: Champions League favourites Barcelona will play big-spending Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the pick of the quarter-final matches after the draw was held in Nyon, Switzerland yesterday.

Former England captain David Beckham will get the chance to return to the Nou Camp where he famously helped Manchester United defeat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the 1999 final although they will be without leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic who is suspended for the first-leg at the Parc des Princes.

Lionel Messi will lead four-time champions Barcelona after the Argentine superstar scored twice and inspired the 4-0 thrashing of AC Milan on Tuesday that overturned a 2-0 deficit.

“I think it’s brilliant to play Barcelona,” said PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti. “I’m very happy but it’ll be very difficult. Barca have a lot of experience, quality and confidence but PSG have a chance of going through. We’ll have to play the full 180 minutes,”

Last year’s losing finalists Bayern Munich, will play the first-leg at home against Italian giants Juventus, while record nine-time champions Real Madrid will take on a Galatasaray team attempting to become the first side from Turkey to lift the trophy.

“They are an opponent with a lot of calibre and they are very, very strong,” said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes. “It’s going to be two great nights but I know Juventus very well and they are currently the best team in Italy with a very strong defence and plenty of offensive quality too.

Jose Mourinho continues his quest to become the first coach to win the tournament with three different teams after Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010 but former Real Madrid striker Emilio Butragueno expects a tough battle.

“Galatasaray are a great team and have fantastic fans so we are expecting two tough matches,” said the former Spanish international. “They have some great players like (Wesley) Sneijder and (Didier) Drogba but our objective is to win that 10th European Cup. That is our goal.”

In the final quarter-final, Spanish outsiders Malaga were drawn against 1997 champions Borussia Dortmund with the first-leg to be played in Spain.

“We can live with this draw,” said Dortmund Sports Director Michael Zorc. “At least it is better than playing Barcelona, Real or Bayern.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2013.