The draws for the quarter-finals and semifinals of the 2010/2011 UEFA Champions League will take place this Friday, March 18, 2011 (starting at 12.00CET) at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. EUFA General Secretary, Gianni Infantino, together with the ambassador for the final, Gary Lineker, the former England striker will conduct the draw.

Who are in?


Chelsea – The Blues should be in, as they have been in the past years. The 2-0 thumping of FC Copenhagen at Stamford Bridge in the first league was all it took for them to progress. Lifting the trophy will be a sort of redemption for Carlo Ancelloti, whose team has not had an excellent season despite a brilliant start. The Champions League is the main reason why the Italian is at the helm of Abramovich’s team.

Manchester United – Sir Alex Ferguson’s eye for talent once again was manifested when his prized recruit from Mexico, Javier Hernandez, shone brightest with two goals in the round of 16 clash against Marseille. Will they be able to stand their ground against the other giants in Europe? The Red Devils always has something to surprise their opponents.

Tottenham Hotspur – The team may not ring a bell to the ears of fans outside Britain. But their ousting of AC Milan sent thunderous warning to the other European greats. They have young bloods fueling the team. Gareth Bale is said to be the next big thing in football.

Inter Milan – The defending Champion was almost counted out when they trailed 0-1 to Bayern Munich going into the 2nd leg. But they played with all their hearts and managed to escape victorious despite the return of Arjen Robben in the German side. Goran Pandev’s goal in the last two minutes gave the title holder a new breath of life as they won on away goal despite a 3-3 aggregate.

FC Barcelona – Spain’s leading club is back to reclaim its glory. With Messi around, the Catalans are more likely to figure in the fnals once again.

Real Madrid - The Manager of last year’s winner is now at Madrid’s helm. Mourinho is two-time winner for two different clubs, the last one at Inter. He is hungry for more titles, just as his Madrid is hungry for its tenth title. Now that they broke the Lyon jinx, will there be no stopping for the Galacticos?

FC Schalke - The German team recently lost its Coach, Felix Magath. The Champions league performance of Schalke, even it’s ousting of Valencia, wasn’t enough to save the guy who last year drove them to a second place finish at the Bundesliga. A current 10th place at the German League didn’t sit well with the owners. Raul, the once legendary striker of Real Madrid, will have to carry the team.

FC Shakhtar Donetsk – The club from Ukraine is in its first trip to the quarterfinals. Their 6-2 drubbing of AS Roma is amazing. I don’t know if I’ll ever correctly spell the team’s name but should they win the trophy, their name will be forever etched in football history.

Open Draw

It will be an open draw. No seedings, and clubs from the same national association can be drawn against each other. What will happen if Chelsea is drawn against Manchester United, and Real Madrid vs Barcelona at this stage of the tournament. Real Madrid’s Mourinho preferred not to face either Inter or Chelsea. The Sporting Director Jorge Valdano preferred not to face Schalke because of Raul. Rooney is reported to have declared that he wanted to face Barcelona, ala-Mourinho when he first coached Chelsea.

The quarter-finals, as in the previous years, will be played on a home-and-away basis, with the first legs on April 5 and 6 (Tuesday and Wednesday) and the return games on the following week April 12 and 13 (Tuesday and Wednesday). The semi-final first legs are scheduled for two weeks after the quarter-finals, on April 26 and 27, and the second legs on May 3 and 4. The Finals will be on May 8 at the Wembley Stadium.

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