Barca avoid Real, Juve draw Bayern

NYON – Four-times winners Bayern Munich will face resurgent Juventus in the pick of the Champions League quarter-finals following the draw made in Nyon on Friday, with favourites Barcelona paired with Paris St Germain.

Friday, March 15, 2013
Lionel Messi and Barcelona will be confident of getting a result against a PSG side missing Zlatan Ibrahimovic but with David Beckham (below) in the first leg. Net photo.

Quarterfinals fixture:Malaga            vs  DortmundReal Madrid  vs GalatasarayPSG            vs  BarcelonaBayern             vs  JuventusNYON – Four-times winners Bayern Munich will face resurgent Juventus in the pick of the Champions League quarter-finals following the draw made in Nyon on Friday, with favourites Barcelona paired with Paris St Germain.Bayern, beaten finalists last season when Chelsea lifted the trophy, will first host the Serie A champions who are back in the quarter-finals after a seven-year absence. "That is certainly not a dream draw for us,” Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told reporters about meeting the twice European champions. Juve director Pavel Nedved said: "Bayern are one of the hardest teams that we could have faced. We have to approach the tie positively. I’m proud that Juve are among the top eight sides in Europe and the only Italian side in the draw.” Barcelona, who overhauled a 2-0 first leg deficit to beat AC Milan in the last 16 this week, will face rising force PSG with the first leg in France. PSG’s former Barca front-man Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to miss the first leg through suspension. Leonardo, sports director at the Qatari-backed Ligue 1 leaders, told TV channel BeIN Sport: "We are going to play against the best team - not just because of what they did this week, but because of what they have been doing in the past years. Nine-times winners Real Madrid will take on Galatasaray in a tie which pits Jose Mourinho, coach of the Spanish side, against his former Chelsea player Didier Drogba. Real are at home first. Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund were drawn against Champions League newcomers Malaga in the other quarter-final with the Spaniards at home in the first leg. England do not have a team in the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since the 1995-96 season. The first legs will be played on April 2 or 3 and the second legs on April 9 or 10.