Five big talking points from the Champions League draw

The Champions League quarter-final draw presented us with plenty of intriguing ties.

Manchester City take on Borussia Dortmund, whilst Chelsea face FC Porto.

Meanwhile, there will be a repeat of last season’s final between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain, whilst Liverpool were drawn against Real Madrid in the fourth and final tie of the quarter-finals.

The semi-finals were also drawn, with the winner of quarter-finals one and three facing off, with the victors of games two and four playing in the second tie.

The full draw, including potential future ties, has been published by UEFA.

Let’s take a look at five of the key talking points from the draw:

Manchester City facing a potential target

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Manchester City’s quarter-final tie with Borussia Dortmund could be a dazzling display of attacking power.

At the centre of that will be the presence of Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, who has been linked with Pep Guardiola’s side in recent weeks.

Could the Norwegian be the one to shatter City’s Champions League dreams for another season?

Last season’s finalists meet again

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Just seven months ago, Bayern Munich managed to put Paris Saint Germain to the sword in a closely-contested Champions League final.

Kingsley Coman scored the only goal of the game early in the second half.

Bayern were crowned champions of Europe’s premier competition for the first time in seven years. It was Hansi Flick’s first European trophy as a manager.

Both teams have since made additions in the transfer market, and PSG replaced head coach Thomas Tuchel with Mauricio Pochettino in January.

Who will come out on top this time around?

Liverpool face repeat of 2018 final

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Jurgen Klopp‘s Liverpool face a challenging route towards the showpiece event in Istanbul on May 29.

Real Madrid, managed by Zinedine Zidane, stand in their way in the quarter-finals. Whilst Real may not quite be the dominating force they were in the latter part of the previous decade, they still possess a huge amount of threat.

Both teams have won the Champions League within the last three seasons, with Real defeating Liverpool in the final to secure their crown in 2018.

The winner of the tie will face either FC Porto or Chelsea in the semi-finals.

Can Chelsea continue fine defensive form?

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Chelsea’s defensive record since the appointment of Thomas Tuchel has been nothing short of sensational.

The Blues have conceded just twice in 13 games in all competitions.

They also defeated LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid at the last-16 stage via a 3-0 aggregate scoreline.

FC Porto will provide them with another tough test, but the Portuguese side will be presented with a currently formidable Chelsea backline.

Can Madrid progress towards another CL crown despite patchy European form?

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Since winning the Champions League in 2018, this is the first time that Real have progressed beyond the last-16 stage.

They were beaten by an exceptional Manchester City side last season, and were defeated by eventual semi-finalists Ajax the previous campaign.

Zidane’s men sit third in LaLiga this term, six points behind leaders Atletico.

Can this current Real side progress on their quest to a 14th Champions League crown by defeating Liverpool?

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