Thursday, March 28, 2024

Champions League reunions

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NYON, Switzerland (AP) – A Champions League draw heavy with reunions today paired Real Madrid and Barcelona with the same last 16 opponents as last season, and sent Arsene Wenger back to the club where he made his reputation.

Defending European football champions Madrid will play Schalke a year after a 6-1 rout in Germany sparked a 9-2 aggregate victory.

“We want to show that we’ve learned something,” Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo said. “We got the toughest rival.”

Barcelona will once again travel first, on February 24, to play Manchester City. Barcelona beat City 4-1 on aggregate at the same stage last season.

 The draw also paired Wenger with former team Monaco, where the Arsenal manager rose to prominence by winning a French league title in 1988.

More repeat business will see Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) again host Chelsea first, after the English club advanced from their quarter-final series last season.

“What happened last year was a good experience that shall not be repeated,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said.

Bayern Munich, which won the most recent of their five titles in 2013, will be away first against Shakhtar Donetsk. The runaway Bundesliga leaders have never played the Ukrainian champions.

Juventus will face Borussia Dortmund in a repeat of the 1997 final which produced one of the biggest Champions League upsets. Back then, Dortmund beat the heavily favoured defending champions 3-1.

Also, Bayer Leverkusen will face Atletico Madrid, and FC Basel will play FC Porto in a match of clubs which sustain good Champions League results despite often selling star players.

The first legs will be played on February 17-18 and 24-25, with the return matches on March 10-11 and 17-18. The final is scheduled for June 6 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

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