NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Real Madrid’s path to another Champions League title will have to go through Chelsea in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row.
Friday’s draw takes Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti to face his former club, eliminated by a Karim Benzema goal in extra time a year ago.
This time, the first leg between the last two Champions League winners will be played in Madrid instead of London – on April 11 or 12.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola also reunited with a former club. The English champions will face Bayern Munich, who have won all 8 games this season, and will play the first leg away from home.
Bayern twice kept Paris Saint-Germain forwards Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé from scoring in the last 16. The team will now face the tournament’s leading scorer in Erling Haaland, who scored five goals in Tuesday’s 7-0 rout of Leipzig.
The winner between City and Bayern will play either Madrid or Chelsea in the semi-finals. Half of that draw includes four of the top five teams in UEFA’s rankings based on results in European competitions over the last five years.
The other half of the draw is dominated by Italian clubs, with the possibility of a Milan derby in the semi-finals.
AC Milan will face Serie A leaders Napoli first in the quarter-finals of either the Champions League or the old European Cup. The first leg is at the San Siro.
Inter Milan play at Benfica in the first leg, returning to the country where they eliminated Porto in the round of 16.
Inter will be playing at this stage of the competition for the first time in 12 years, while Milan will end an 11-year wait. Inter are ranked No. 12 by UEFA, while seven-time European champions Milan have dropped to No. 36.
Six former champions who combined for 34 titles in the 68-year history of the competition were drawn. Only Napoli and Man City have yet to become European champions.
The first round will be held on April 11 and 12. The return matches are scheduled for April 18 and 19.
The semi-finals will be played between May 9-17 and the final will be held on June 10 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
In the Europa League quarter-finals, Manchester United will play another Spanish club.
Man United, who eliminated Barcelona and Real Betis in the last two rounds, will next face record six-time champions Sevilla.
The winner will play either Juventus or Sporting Lisbon in the semi-finals.
The other half of the draw paired Feyenoord and Roma – won by the Italian side in a replay of last year’s inaugural Europa League final – and Bayer Leverkusen with Belgian club Union Saint-Guillois.
The Europa League quarter-finals will be played on 13 and 20 April, with the semi-finals on 11 and 18 May and the final on 31 May at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
AFC Asian Cup 2023
Quarter Finals
First leg
April 11-12
Real Madrid (Spain) vs Chelsea (England)
Benfica (Portugal) vs Inter Milan (Italy)
Manchester City (England) vs Bayern Munich (Germany)
AC Milan (Italy) vs Napoli (Italy)
The second leg
April 18-19
Chelsea (England) vs Real Madrid (Spain)
Inter Milan (Italy) vs Benfica (Portugal)
Bayern Munich (Germany) vs Manchester City (England)
Napoli (Italy) vs AC Milan (Italy)
Semi Finals
First leg
May 9-10
AC Milan (Italy) or Napoli (Italy) vs Benfica (Portugal) or Inter Milan (Italy)
Real Madrid (Spain) or Chelsea (England) vs Manchester City (England) or Bayern Munich (Germany)
The second leg
May 16-17
Benfica (Portugal) or Inter Milan (Italy) vs AC Milan (Italy) or Napoli (Italy)
Manchester City (England) or Bayern Munich (Germany) vs Real Madrid (Spain) or Chelsea (England)
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