Champions League draw as it happened: Liverpool and Manchester City to meet in quarter-finals
Follow all the action from the Champions League quarter-final draw
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool will play Premier League leaders Manchester City in an all-English Champions League quarter-final.
Anfield will hold the first leg of the quarter-final tie, which will be played on April 4 with the second leg to be held on April 10.
Jurgen Klopp’s side reached the quarter-final stage after hammering Porto in the Round of 16, with a resounding 5-0 victory at the Estadio do Dragao ahead of a routine goalless draw at Anfield.
Relive the draw in the live blog below...
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Barcelona
- 2017/18 Champions League record: P8 W5 D3 L0 F13 A2
- 2017/18 Champions League top-scorer: Lionel Messi (6)
Barcelona have been in sensational form throughout the current campaign, and are aiming to be the first La Liga side since 1934 to go unbeaten over the course of a season (W22 D6). An inspired performance in the second leg, with a Lionel Messi masterclass, saw the Spanish side progress to the quarter-finals, beating Chelsea 4-1 over two legs. For Ernesto Valverde’s side, they are amongst the favourites for the Champions League trophy, and are arguably the most in-form team remaining in the competition.
Key Player: Lionel Messi
Words fail to do justice to just how much of a footballing legend Messi is, highlighted once again on Wednesday night against Chelsea, though he is unquestionably Barcelona’s most important player. The Catalan outfit will fancy their chances in the competition with just five games lying between them and a Champions League title, though if they are to lift the trophy, Messi will have to be firing on all cylinders.
Underrated Player: Paulinho
After making the switch from Guangzhou Evergrande in 2017, questions were asked as to whether Barcelona were signing a player capable of competing for a starting berth with one of the biggest teams in Europe. Paulinho has shone in the face of questioning and criticism, featuring regularly for Valverde’s side in the Champions League, though with star names littered throughout Barca’s starting XI, the Brazilian is not often given the acclaim he arguably deserves.
Juventus
- 2017/18 Champions League record: P8 W4 D3 L1 F11 A8
- 2017/18 Champions League top-scorer: Gonzalo Higuaín (5)
With Massimo Allegri’s side progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals after beating Tottenham 4-3 over two legs, expectations are high as to what this Juventus team can achieve in the competition. Having made the final in two of the last three seasons, Juve will back themselves to beat any opponent in the quarters, and with the likes of Pablo Dybala and Gonzalo Higauin in their ranks, they are capable of inflicting serious damage to any of the remaining teams in the competition.
Key Player: Gonzalo Higuain
Higuain epitomised his importance to Allegri’s side in their last 16 clash with Tottenham, scoring two in the first leg as well as making a crucial goalscoring contribution to bring the tie to 3-3 at Wembley. As Juventus’s highest scoring player in the 2017/18 Champions League (5), Higuain has undeniable pedigree, and his form will be a key factor in their potential success in the remaining knock-out stages of the competition.
Underrated Player: Blaise Matuidi
Following on from a six-year spell and over 200 appearances for PSG, Matuidi has been a vital part of Allegri’s team in 2017/18, returning to the side for their second leg clash against Tottenham, a game they crucially won to progress in the competition. An enforcer with so much more to his game, Matuidi is a particularly important player in this Juventus side, and it will be essential he performs in order for them to progress beyond the quarter finals.
Now that's out the way, time to get down to business. The draw is almost upon us!
Uefa have brought in the big dogs for today's draw. None other than Andriy Shevchenko has made his way onto the stage. What a hero.
Okay, the draw is *finally* about to start. A reminder this is an open draw - anything goes...
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