NYON, Switzerland — Real Madrid will take on crosstown rival Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and that could be bad news for the 10-time winners.
The defending champions, who were routed 4-0 by their local rivals last month, were drawn Friday to face Atletico in a rematch of last year’s final.
Also, 2013 champion Bayern Munich will face FC Porto, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona will meet again after playing in the group stage this season, and the final matchup pits Juventus against Monaco.
Madrid won its record 10th title in the continental competition last year with a 4-1 victory over Atletico, which has dominated their most recent matchups.
Atletico and Real Madrid will face each other for the seventh and eighth times this season, with Real Madrid yet to register a win. Last month, Madrid was handed its biggest defeat in four years as it slumped to a 4-0 loss at Atletico in the Spanish capital derby.
The first leg will be played at Atletico’s ground on April 14, with the return game on April 22.
“They’re (Atletico) a side who know how to compete, they let in few goals, are good from dead balls and get the best out of each situation,” said former Real Madrid player Emilio Butragueno, now a director of institutional relations at the club. “You never know if it’s an advantage playing the second leg at home. We have to be at our best because we know exactly the difficulties that we’re going to face.”
This year’s final will take place June 6 at Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@dailypapersng
