PARIS: The prospect of yet another showdown between Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona looms large on the horizon ahead of Friday’s draw for the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Champions League.
Both clubs have advanced to the last eight of the competition without really being tested and, given the size of the gap between them and the rest of the continent just now, it is hard to escape from the sensation that only the draw will prevent them from meeting in the final itself in Munich on May 19.
Twelve months ago, the Catalans won a bad-tempered semifinal against their great rivals before going on to lift the trophy and, as Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was eager to point out this week, the 2-0 loss in the first-leg of that tie remains the only Champions League game his side has lost since he moved to the Spanish capital in the summer of 2010.
Madrid are currently ten points clear of the Catalans at the top of La Liga and, while their recent record in the fixture is poor, defender Sergio Ramos insists Real have nothing to fear from another Clasico on the European stage.
“One of the best things in football is being able to see such incredible games,” he said after Madrid’s 5-2 aggregate win against CSKA.
Certainly, the other six clubs through to the quarterfinals would love them to meet at the earliest possible opportunity. But can any of the rest stop Spain’s big two?
Bayern Munich would appear to be the best-equipped, and are on a high after overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit against FC Basel by winning the return 7-0 in Bavaria.
But the truth is that Bayern’s best hope of winning the competition probably lies with them being kept apart from the Spanish giants until the final, when they would surely fancy their chances of winning a one-off game at their own stadium.
Serie A leaders Milan have such a proud history in the competition that they certainly deserve the respect shown them by Hoeness, but they have not quite been good enough to beat either Spanish giant over the last 18 months.
Meanwhile, it is hard to see Chelsea as genuine contenders to win that elusive first Champions League crown this season, and veteran midfielder Frank Lampard admitted that the Blues are just relieved to have reached their seventh quarterfinal in nine campaigns.(Agencies)