Champions League draw: Liverpool paired with Chelsea again
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Four Premier League clubs have been kept apart in the early stages of the Champions League but at least one is certain to exit after Liverpool were paired with Chelsea in for the fifth season running following Friday's draw in Nyon, Switzerland.
The two clubs have already played each other 22 times in five years in all competitions.
"We know each other very well and this is an exciting draw," said Liverpool manager Rafa Benítez.
"We knew it would be difficult to avoid an English team but we need to approach the two games with confidence. We've done the double over them this season in the league but clearly these two games in the quarterfinals will be different."
Chelsea's interim boss Guus Hiddink, who won the European Cup with PSV Eindhoven in 1988, said his players were looking forward to the Liverpool clash.
"I'm OK with the draw," he said. "If you have great desire to get to the end in May, you have to play them - Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona."
Defending champions United will fancy their chances of making it through to the last four after being paired against underdogs FC Porto, which knocked United out in 2004 when José Mourinho was in charge of the Portuguese team.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "This is a good draw for us, we've met Porto before and obviously we respect any Portuguese team.
"We have had a huge Portuguese influence in the club - firstly with Carlos Queiroz but now with Cristiano (Ronaldo) and Nani - so we understand Portuguese football."
Vítor Baía, former Porto goalkeeper and now the club's head of foreign relations, said his team would not be scared of the defending champion.
"We're going up against one of the best clubs in the world but that doesn't mean we'll be giving up," Baía said. "We have something to bring to this game. We have shown our quality and our character by coming this far."
Arsenal will travel to Villarreal before tackling the Spaniards at Emirates Stadium in the second leg.
Gunners boss Arsène Wenger was pleased to have home advantage in the second leg but does not consider Villarreal to be underdogs.
He said: "It is a difficult 50/50 draw but it is maybe a good opportunity to play the first game away.
"In this game there is no real favourite and if I show you what has been said in the newspapers over the last six months you cannot put us as a favourite."
Barcelona and Bayern Munich will meet in the the fourth quarter-final.
"That's a heck of a draw, it's something quite extraordinary," Bayern coach Jürgen Klinsmann said. "It's a great challenge to be measuring up against the best team in Europe right now."
Should Arsenal and United both come through their quarter-finals they will meet each other in the semi-finals, with the winners of the Liverpool v Chelsea tie taking on either Barcelona or Bayern.
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The two clubs have already played each other 22 times in five years in all competitions.
"We know each other very well and this is an exciting draw," said Liverpool manager Rafa Benítez.
"We knew it would be difficult to avoid an English team but we need to approach the two games with confidence. We've done the double over them this season in the league but clearly these two games in the quarterfinals will be different."
Chelsea's interim boss Guus Hiddink, who won the European Cup with PSV Eindhoven in 1988, said his players were looking forward to the Liverpool clash.
"I'm OK with the draw," he said. "If you have great desire to get to the end in May, you have to play them - Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona."
Defending champions United will fancy their chances of making it through to the last four after being paired against underdogs FC Porto, which knocked United out in 2004 when José Mourinho was in charge of the Portuguese team.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "This is a good draw for us, we've met Porto before and obviously we respect any Portuguese team.
"We have had a huge Portuguese influence in the club - firstly with Carlos Queiroz but now with Cristiano (Ronaldo) and Nani - so we understand Portuguese football."
Vítor Baía, former Porto goalkeeper and now the club's head of foreign relations, said his team would not be scared of the defending champion.
"We're going up against one of the best clubs in the world but that doesn't mean we'll be giving up," Baía said. "We have something to bring to this game. We have shown our quality and our character by coming this far."
Arsenal will travel to Villarreal before tackling the Spaniards at Emirates Stadium in the second leg.
Gunners boss Arsène Wenger was pleased to have home advantage in the second leg but does not consider Villarreal to be underdogs.
He said: "It is a difficult 50/50 draw but it is maybe a good opportunity to play the first game away.
"In this game there is no real favourite and if I show you what has been said in the newspapers over the last six months you cannot put us as a favourite."
Barcelona and Bayern Munich will meet in the the fourth quarter-final.
"That's a heck of a draw, it's something quite extraordinary," Bayern coach Jürgen Klinsmann said. "It's a great challenge to be measuring up against the best team in Europe right now."
Should Arsenal and United both come through their quarter-finals they will meet each other in the semi-finals, with the winners of the Liverpool v Chelsea tie taking on either Barcelona or Bayern.
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