The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Sport Saturday
Kane books date with old rivals Arsenal
England captain faces trip to north London with Bayern Two favourites City and Real drawn to play in the last eight
Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich will take on Arsenal in the most intriguing clash of the Champions League quarter-finals.
Kane left Tottenham Hotspur to move to Germany in the summer and has had another prolific campaign in the Bundesliga. The England captain will be desperate to knock his old rivals out of the Champions League and keep alive his last remaining hope of winning a trophy this season.
There will also be another collision between the two favourites in the last eight, with Manchester City taking on Real Madrid a year after Pep Guardiola’s side humbled the Spanish giants on their way to becoming European champions last season.
City and Real have arguably been the two most impressive teams in Europe this season. Should both Arsenal and City triumph over two legs, they will meet in the semifinals, which would guarantee an English club in the final.
There is another mouthwatering tie in the last eight, between Paris St- Germain and an improving Barcelona, while a third Spanish contender, Atletico Madrid, will take on Borussia Dortmund.
Arsenal have lost each of their past three meetings with Bayern 5-1.
Bayern forward Thomas Muller said on X: “And it’s Arsenal. Kai Havertz, my friend, I am waiting for you. It is a nice draw. Two very good teams, two very good stadiums, two very good cities. It will be on the same evening. The return legs will be played on April 17. The semi-finals take place on April 30 and May 1, with the return legs on May 7 and 8. Wembley will host the final on Saturday, June 1.
In the Europa League, Liverpool were drawn against Italian side Atalanta in the last eight.
The sides’ only previous encounters were in the Champions League group stage in 2020-21, when Liverpool won 5-0 in Bergamo but then lost 2-0 at Anfield.
Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp said: “It is a quarter-final – I didn’t expect any easy opponent. I have a lot of respect for what Atalanta is doing in the last years, very consistent.”
West Ham face a tough challenge against Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who are unbeaten in 37 matches in all competitions this season under their highly- rated coach Xabi Alonso.
Liverpool and West Ham cannot meet until the final in Dublin after the semi-final draw also kept the Premier League teams apart.
The last-eight ties will be played on April 11 and 18, with the final scheduled for Wednesday, May 22.
Aston Villa will go up against French side Lille in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals.