UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw sets Liverpool and Man City up for finale bout

This morning’s Champions League draw has provided us with another round of thrilling ties, however we are set to wait even longer for a potential all-English clash.

Chelsea will face Real Madrid - a year after the Blues knocked the La Liga giants out of the competition as they beat them 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-final.

The tie will see Marcos Alonso, Mateo Kovacic, Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard reunite with their respective previous teams in what will be one of the most highly anticipated matches of the quarters.

Meanwhile, Manchester City will face Atletico Madrid, after they knocked out their local rivals Manchester United.

The Spanish side haven’t been at their best in the Champions League after labouring through the group stage, but will still prove a difficult opponent for Pep Guardiola’s men.

The final Premier League team, Liverpool, have drawn arguably the ‘easiest’ tie of the quarter-finals - Benfica.

The Portuguese giants caused an upset when they knocked Ajax out in the last round and will now take on one of the strongest teams left in the competition.

Finally, Villarreal will face Bayern Munich in what will be assumed to be a pass through to the semis for the Germans. However, Unai Emery’s side certainly won’t roll over after their surprise 3-0 victory over Juventus.

As usual, the draw wasn’t over until the semi-final and final had also been decided.

As a result, Manchester City and Liverpool have been placed on either side of the bracket as they both look to lift the Champions League trophy.

The draw, which probably favours the Merseyside club a little more than City, is set up perfectly for the two sides to clash in Paris the week after the Premier League champions will be crowned.

Of course, both sides have to beat their respective teams if they are to reach the final, but it is hard not to dream of such a final, full of emotion and intensity.

The potential City v Liverpool finale would grow their rivalry dramatically in the space of a week, with so many different outcomes possible.

While City could claim both trophies and finally win the Champions League, Liverpool could also snatch both from their grasp and break the hearts of the City fans once more.

What if City were to win the league but later lose out on the trophy they have been longing for since Guardiola’s arrival? Would they have traded their domestic trophy for the European one?

As a neutral this sounds like the dream scenario for me, but realistically the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will all pose major threats to such a fantastic ending to the season.

My fingers are crossed.