Champions League: Rafa v Chelsea – Round 23

In the Champions League Quarter-Final draw yesterday, Liverpool and Chelsea are to play each other for the 5th season in a row, albeit a round earlier than their usual date. By the time the two-legged tie is over, it will have been the 24th meeting between the sides in the Rafa Benitez era. The second leg has been purposely scheduled for Tuesday 14th April – in order to avoid the Hillsbrough anniversary the next day, so expect an emotionally-charged performance from the Reds.

The winners of this match will be up against Barcelona or Bayern Munich in the Semi-Finals.

Meanwhile, Manchester United and Arsenal could face each other in the semis- provided they can get through their ties against FC Porto and Villareal respectivley. Man U will look to avenge their defeat to Porto in the Last 16 in 2004, while the Spanish side will look to wipe away the memories of their dramatic semi-final loss to the Gunners in 2006.

In the UEFA Cup, Manchester City will play Martin Jol’s high-flying Hamburg, the winners of which will face Werder Bremen or Udinese.

The other UEFA Cup games are Shakhtar Donetsk v Marseille, and PSG v Dynamo Kiev, so there will be a new name on the trophy this year.