Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
Current UEFA Champions League winner, Chelsea, will play Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals, while Manchester City have been drawn against Atletico Madrid.
Liverpool, who beat Italian champions, Inter Milan to progress from the last 16, will face top Portuguese side, Benfica.
These were decided in the UEFA quarter-final clashes draw held today in Nyon, Switzerland.
The other quarter-final ties see the Spanish side Villareal, last season’s Europa League winners, take on German champions Bayern Munich after shocking Juventus in the last 16.
Sports fans will be looking at the current situation, especially for Chelsea due to the sanctions imposed on its Russian owner, Mr Roman Abramovich. This might see the defending champions play the home leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie behind closed doors.
The first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals will take place on April 5 and 6, with the return fixtures a week later on April 12 and 13.
There will be two matches on each night taking place at the same time.
Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid had booked a spot in the quarter-finals already, having won their ties last week. This week, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Villarreal and Chelsea secured their place in the last eight.
The Champions League semi-final draw will see Manchester City or Atletico Madrid face Chelsea or Real Madrid while the winner in Benfica or Liverpool tackles the victorious team between Villarreal or Bayern Munich.
Paris will stage the 2022 Champions League final after UEFA stripped Saint Petersburg of hosting rights for the showpiece fixture following Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
The final will be played at the Stade de France, which last hosted the Champions League final in 2006 when Barcelona beat Arsenal 2-1 to lift the European Cup for the second time.
