Monday, February 6th, 2012
There were mixed fortunes for the two English Premier League EPL clubs still left in the UEFA Champions League as Arsenal was drawn against Barcelona, while Manchester United will face Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals. The fortunes are contrasting because the Gunners have again had the tougher draw while Manchester United continue to show why they will rule for as long as Sir Alex Ferguson is around because he is the lucky rabbit’s foot in the Old Trafford hat. There will be a repeat of the 2006 UEFA Champions League final when Arsenal met and lost to Barcelona and as usual there will be a lot of talk about revenge leading up to the clash. However, both clubs are already having very different squads with several aging players already shown the door at Arsenal and Barcelona. Instead, there will be mouthwatering matchups between great and exciting talent like Fabregas v Xavi v Iniesta, Vermalein and Campbell v Messi and Henry and many more. Another great situation to watch out for would be the return of Thierry Henry to Arsenal, the club that made him famous and what he is today, including the many trophies he won with the Gunners, although he only added the Champions League medal to his personal collection upon joining Barcelona. The first leg of the tie will be at the Emirates Stadium where you can expect all out attacking football from both teams and this is definitely the tie of the Champions League quarterfinals. The reward for the winner of this tie will be up against the winners of the Inter Milan v CSKA Moscow quarterfinal, with the Serie A champions overwhelming favourites to progress.
The other Premier League club involved, Manchester United will be up against Bayern Munich, which is another matchup that invokes memory of the classic Champions League final in 1999 when it perhaps was the defining moment of the Manchester club in going on to become the force that they have turned out to be in the past many years. That was the game in which the Red Devils famously staged a miraculous escape in the dying seconds to steal the Champions League trophy from under the noses of Bayern Munich, scoring two goals in the last few minutes to win 2-1 in the Nou Camp. Ironically, that is the only time United have ever beaten the Bundesliga side. And to further illustrate the luck of the Red Devils, Manchester United will get to play the second leg at home. Either team that manages to get through will then have to face either Lyon or Bordeaux, who will contest the remaining all-French quarterfinal.
Some key comments from individuals who are involved in the ties that feature EPL clubs, first from Karl-Heinz Rummenigge who is the Bayern Munich chairman who quickly installed his own club as the underdog:
“Manchester are a team who are ranked right at the top,” he said on his club’s website. “We will have to push ourselves to our limits and possibly even beyond to go through.
“Manchester are the favourites, but that is where the attraction lies: to try to beat a favourite.”
UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals Draw:
Arsenal v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Manchester United
Lyon v Bordeaux
Inter Milan v CSKA Moscow
Tags: Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, English Premier League, Manchester United, UEFA Champions League