French league leaders Paris Saint-Germain were on Friday drawn to meet Barcelona in the last eight of the Champions League. Their Ligue 1 rivals Marseille will take on Benfica in the Europa League quarter-finals. And Lille will test their wits against the English side Aston Villa in the Europa Conference league
PSG – who are led by the former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique – lost in the 2020 final to Bayern Munich and have not featured in the quarter-finals of European club football's most prestigious competition since 2021 when then coach Mauricio Pochettino steered them to the semi-finals where they lost to Manchester City.
City lost the final to Chelsea but Pep Guardiola's side claimed the title for the first time in 2023 when they overcame Inter Milan.
Guardiola's charges will continue the defence of the crown against 14-time champions Real Madrid who they pulverized in their surge to glory last season.
“We don’t have another option," said Guardiola. "It seems like tradition, three years in a row, to play the kings of the competition.”
Atletico Madrid, who dispatched Inter in the last-16, will take on Borussia Dortmund while the Premier League leaders Arsenal face Bayern Munich.
The tie will mean a first competitive return to England for the former Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.
Back to North London 👀🏴 pic.twitter.com/w2S9qj0EWS
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) March 15, 2024
The draw at the headquarters of tournament organisers Uefa in the Swiss city of Nyon also matched the teams for the semi-finals.
Should PSG emerge from the clash with Barcelona – who famously beat them 6-5 on aggregate after losing the first leg 4-0 – they will face Atletico Madrid or Dortmund.
The first leg of the quarter-finals will take place on 9 and 10 April. The return games will be played a week later.
In the second tier Europa League, Marseille, who are enjoying a resurgence in form following the appointment of the former Cote d'Ivoire boss Jean-Louis Gasset, will take on Benfica.
Title favourites Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen will play Atalanta and West Ham respectively while Milan will battle with Serie A rivals Roma.
Whoever wins that tie will meet Bayer Leverkusen or West Ham in the semi-final. Liverpool or Atalanta will await Marseille or Benfica.
Should Lille eclipse Aston Villa to reach the last four of the Europa Conference League, they will play Olympiacos or Fenerbahce
The other quarter-finals pit Viktoria Plzen against Fiorentina and Club Brugge against PAOK.
