Champions League draw: Barcelona up against gritty Atletico Madrid, City face PSG

Nyon, Switzerland: Holders Barcelona and their feared attacking trident drew fellow Spaniards and 2014 finalists Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last eight on Friday. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, Barcelona’s feared attacking trio, will seek revenge for their 2-1 aggregate quarter-finals exit at the hands of Diego Simeone’s formidable charges two seasons ago. “With Atletico Madrid everything is complicated,” said Barcelona representative Javier Bordas, who was in Nyon for the draw. [caption id=“attachment_2656370” align=“alignleft” width=“379”] Barcelona will face Atletico Madrid in Champions League quarter-finals. Reuters[/caption] “Their strengths are well known. They are water-tight at the back and can hurt you in attack,” he said of the side who have shipped just three goals in the competition so far. “They are our number one rival in the Spanish league, I don’t believe there was a tougher side we could have drawn. We know this is going to be really tough.” In another tantalising pair up new money outfits Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain face off after Swedish giant Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s side toppled Chelsea in the last round. It is a first ever quarter-finals for City. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi seemed convinced his up and coming side can get to their first semi-final in twenty years. “In the quarter-finals there are only good teams left. We have enormous respect for Manchester City, But I believe our players will produce another big European performance. I’m convinced we can keep up the pace that saw us overcome Chelsea and offer our supporters a first semi-final since 1995,” he said Having overcome Juventus in a dramatic come back in midweek five-time European champions Bayern Munich will have been relieved to have drawn Portugal’s Benfica. Bayern winger Franck Ribéry warned there was no room for complacency even if the Germans, led by Pep Guardiola in his last season before a switch to Manchester City, are unlikely to lose any sleep over the pair up. “We will have to remain very focussed, it’s the quarter-finals, you don’t take these matches lightly. After the group games you never have an easy match,” said the Frenchman. “We need a good result in the first game at home. But it’s a great draw for us,” he said. Zinedine Zidane’s ten-time winners Real Madrid and the Champions League’s runaway top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo (13 goals), drew Germans Wolfsburg, with the added comfort of playing at home in the second leg against the quarter-final débutants. “We can’t wait” said Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking. “For Wolfsburg, the fans and the club it’s a wonderful draw. Real Madrid are a massive side but you’ve always got a chance.” The two legs of the quarter-finals will be played between April 5-13, with the semi-finals on April 26/27 and May 3/4. The final will take place in Milan on May 28. Quarter-final draw Wolfsburg (GER) v Real Madrid (ESP) Bayern Munich (GER) v Benfica (POR) Barcelona (ESP) v Atletico Madrid (ESP) Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) v Manchester City (ENG) (Games between April 5 and 13) AFP