NYON, Switzerland – As the club moves closer to replacing its Russian possessions, European champions Chelsea were drawn on Friday to beat record-breaking 13-time winners Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The first pair signed at the UEFA headquarters sent Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti back to the London club, where he won a league and cup double a year before being sacked by then-owner Roman Abramovich.
“Ancelotti is a fantastic coach,” said Madrid director Emilio Butragueño, who led the team to 10. “He knows how to manage every detail to get the best out of the players.”
Abramovich, a Russian billionaire with ties to Vladimir Putin, relinquished control of the club before freezing his assets in Britain this month following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On Friday, potential new owners of Chelsea met a deadline to submit bids.
All three English clubs avoided the draw, as did the three Spanish teams.
Manchester City and Atlético Madrid were the next teams paired, while Liverpool moved to Benfica and Bayern Munich will play against Villarreal.
The City-Atlético couple set up a stark contrast of style of play under longtime coaches Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone – both seeking a first European title for their clubs.
It also gives Atletico a quick return to the city where it eliminated Manchester United this week with a 1-0 win typical of the defensive solidity Simeone builds in his team.
The draw includes five former champions and five clubs who were involved in the failed Super League draft last April.
Villarreal is an exception in both categories, the only team that has never made it to the finals in the draw.
In the semifinals, Manchester City or Atlético Madrid will play Chelsea or Real Madrid, and Benfica or Liverpool will play Villarreal or Bayern Munich.
The first leg of the quarterfinals will be played on April 5 or 6, with the return matches the following week. The semifinals will be played between April 26 and May 4. The final takes place on May 28 at the Stade de France in the Paris suburbs.
The Stade de France was a late replacement for the original guest St. UEFA has denied the Russian Football Federation the right to host the finals following the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s last rematch in European competition, Spartak Moscow, was eliminated by UEFA from the Europa League, bringing Leipzig to the quarterfinals.
Leipzig were paired with Atalanta on Friday, while German league rival Eintracht Frankfurt moved to Barcelona.
Barcelona play for the first time since 2004 in the second tier of competition, after 17 straight seasons in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, when it had Lionel Messi in the squad.
West Ham will also face Lyon and Braga face Rangers.
There were three former European champions in the draw for the third-tier Europa Conference League in its debut. Feyenoord play against Slavia Prague, PSV Eindhoven play against Leicester and Marseille play against PAOK Thessaloniki.
Roma, coached by Jose Mourinho, moved to Bodø / Glimt, a Norwegian club that reached the quarter-finals of a European tournament for the first time.
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