Champions League Draw: Quarter-finals guide 2018-19
The UEFA Champions League draw will be held this Friday, 15th of March at 12 noon CET (4.30 P.M IST) in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw for the quarter-finals will have no restrictions which mean that clubs from the same country can be drawn against each other.
Champions League quarter-final draw:
This is the first time since 2008-09 that four English teams have qualified for the quarter-final stage of the Champions League. Liverpool joined the other three Premier League outfits -Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Manchester United, following their thumping 3-1 away win over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena last night. As mentioned earlier, the English clubs can be drawn against each other in the quarter-finals. If they avoid facing each other, there is a huge possibility of a Premier League team making it to the final for the second season running or the final could also be an all-English affair.
Barcelona, the only Spanish side left in the tournament, will be in the pot after their throbbing 5-1 victory over Lyon last night. The Catalan giants will want to make a statement this season, following their recent failures in the Champions League quarter-final stage.
Juventus are the only Italian team through to the quarters after their stunning comeback win over Atletico Madrid, who won the Round of 16 first leg 2-0. But Cristiano Ronaldo's eighth career hat-trick in the Champions League helped the Old Lady to beat the Spanish team 3-0 in the return leg in Turin.
Ajax and Porto are the other two sides who managed to book their places in the quarter-finals of Europe's most prestigious club competition. Teams will be keen to avoid facing Ajax after their recent display against Real Madrid, while Porto could also spring up a surprise or two, following their win over last season's semi-finalists - Roma. Manchester City and Tottenham are the only teams left in the Champions League who are yet to win the competition.
Champions League Schedule:
The first leg of the quarter-finals will be played on the 9th and 10th of April, while the return legs are scheduled on the 16th and 17th of the same month; the matchdays will be decided according to the draw. The first leg of the semi-finals will be played on 30th April and the 1st of May and the return legs are scheduled on 7th and 8th of May. The final of this prestigious competition will be held on 1st June at the Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid.