Messi challenge awaits reinvigorated United
Barcelona drawn with Red Devils in last eight; Juventus to face Ajax; Tottenham take on Man City
NYON,SWITZERLAND:A new generation of Manchester United players will have to get through Barcelona to win the Champions League. And Lionel Messi will still be there.
United were drawn on Friday to face Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals, hosting the first leg on April 10.
Also on Friday, Tottenham were drawn to face Manchester City in an all-english pairing, Liverpool will face Porto, and Ajax will meet Juventus. The first legs will be played on April 9-10, with the return games on April 16-17.
Messi scored the last two times the teams met — in the Champions League finals of 2009 and 2011. The 31-year-old Barcelona forward is also the leading scorer in this season’s competition with eight goals.
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique also played in the two finals against Man United, where he spent four years early in his career.
“I’m coming back to my second home. @Manutd,” Pique wrote on Twitter.
Not all the memories are bad for Man United, however. In the 2008 semi-finals, United beat Barcelona before winning its third title. And it was at Camp Nou that current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored the late, titlewinning goal in 1999, against Bayern Munich.
Four English teams reached the last eight for the first time in 10 years, though only one national derby was drawn. Tottenham will host Man City in the first leg on April 9, which could be played at Wembley Stadium or at the north London club’s soon-tobe-completed new arena. They also play in the Premier League in Manchester less than three days after the second leg.
That pairing brought together the only two quarter-finalists who have never been European champion. The other six have won a combined 21 titles.
Five-time champion Liverpool got a rematch against Porto, the team they beat in the last 16 last season. Back then, Liverpool won 5-0 in Portugal to start its route to the final. “We know how good we had to be last year,” said Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp, dismissing talk of his team getting the easiest opponent. “I could not be further away from thinking it’s the best Barcelona Drawn won
Played United won draw because it isn’t.”
Liverpool, who lost in last year’s final to Real Madrid, will host Porto in the first leg on April 9. Ajax will play Juventus, first in Amsterdam on April 10, in a rematch of two previous finals. Ajax won in 1973, the third of their four European titles, and Juventus won their second title in 1996. “When I was around 10, 12 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo was
LIVERPOOL V PORTO
Liverpool crushed Porto 5-0 on aggregate in the Champions League last 16 last season, scoring all five goals in the away leg before a goalless draw in the return at Anfield. While they will be favourites, Juergen Klopp urged his wards against underestimating Porto.
TOTTENHAM V MAN CITY
Liverpool won City, chasing an unprecedented quadruple, beat Tottenham
1-0 at Wembley in October in the Premier League in their only meeting so far this season. They will ROAD TO MADRID April 9/10
Quarter-finals, first leg April 16/17 Quarter-finals, second leg April 30/May 1 Semi-finals, first leg
May 7/8
Semi-finals, second leg
FINAL
Saturday, June 1 Venue: Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid already one of the best players in the world,” Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong said. “So it is nice that I will now face him for real.”
In the semi-final pairings, Tottenham or Man City will play meet three times in 10 days in April with a Premier League fixture following their second leg clash.
Head-to-head
First meeting
AJAX V JUVENTUS
Once a major European power, who now struggle to compete financially with clubs from bigger leagues, Ajax ousted Real Madrid in the last 16 and their tie against Juventus will be a repeat of the 1996 final, which the Serie A club won on penalties. Ajax won
Drawn
Drawn Juventus
won either Ajax or Juventus, and Man United or Barcelona will face either Liverpool or Porto, keeping open the possibility of a final between Messi and Ronaldo.