The draw of the quarterfinals of Champions League has pitted two European giants against each other. The reigning champions Chelsea will face 13-time winners of the competition, Real Madrid. This means that Carlo Ancelotti will face the former team he led for 2 seasons, from 2009 to 2011.
The Italian is 1 of the only 3 coaches to have won the prestigious Champions League trophy 3 times, 2 times with the Milan Reds and 1 time with Real Madrid in 2014. After the adventure with Everton in England, Ancelotti returned to the Santiago Bernabeu, and Real already has the chance to triumph again in the European arena.
Chelsea and Real met in the semi-finals last season, and the Londoners managed to qualify with the overall score 3-1. Then trust the coach Tuchel defeated Manchester City in the final, to lift the trophy. Another interesting fact is that according to statistics, the Londoners have not lost any of the last 5 direct confrontations with the Spanish giants.
Meanwhile in terms of other challenges, Atletico Madrid will play against Manchester City. Diego Simeone's team managed to knock Manchester United out of the race to reach the quarter-finals, and will now have the chance to eliminate another team from Manchester, only this time the mission seems much more difficult.
Liverpool meanwhile will play against Benfica's Portuguese, a relatively easier opponent than the others. While Villarreal will face the giants of Bayern Munich, who are among the favorites to go all the way to the trophy.
The first act of the quarterfinals will be played on April 5 and 6, while the return matches on April 12 and 13. This season's Champions League final will take place at the Stade de France in Paris.
