Arsenal faces Liverpool in Champions League quarterfinals

The Associated Press   |  Fri, 03/14/2008 9:28 PM  |  Headlines

Arsenal will face Liverpool in the Champions League quarterfinals, and Manchester United will play AS Roma for the third time in two years.

Barcelona, one of the title favorites, managed to avoid all four English teams left in the competition and faces Germany's Schalke while Chelsea takes on Fenerbahce

UEFA also made the provisional semifinal draw. The winner of Arsenal and Liverpool meets either Fenerbahce or Chelsea. Schalke or Barcelona faces Roma or Manchester United.

It's the first time that four teams from the same country have made it to the last eight all hoping to make it to the May 21 final in Moscow.

The Arsenal-Liverpool matchup at least guarantees the Premier League a spot in the semifinals where the winner could then face Chelsea. If it's Liverpool-Chelsea they would meet in the tournament for the fourth straight season and take their tally of meetings in all competitions to 23 in four years.

Liverpool ousted Chelsea in the semifinals in 2005 and '07 and they also met in group action in 2005-06.

Arsenal, the only current league leader left in the competition, ousted defending and seven-time champion AC Milan in the previous round. Two seasons ago, the Gunners made it to the final only to lose 2-1 to Barcelona.

Liverpool knocked out Serie A leader and champion Inter Milan, and, despite its shaky form in the Premier League, is a perennial powerhouse in the Champions League under manager Rafa Benitez.

The Reds hit back from 3-0 at halftime to beat AC Milan on penalties in the 2005 final in Istanbul after a 3-3 draw to win the title for the fifth time. Last year, it reached the final again only to lose 2-1 to Milan.

Manchester United and Roma have also become regular opponents.

Last season, United beat the Serie A team 7-1 at home to reach the semifinal after a 2-1 loss in Rome. They also met at the group stage this term with United winning 1-0 at home and the two teams drawing 1-1 in Rome.

While Manchester United eliminated French champion Lyon in the previous round, Roma reached the quarterfinals for the second season in a row by ending Real Madrid's hopes of winning the title for a 10th time.

Chelsea reached the semifinals for the third time in four seasons but is yet to make it to the final. It avoided the other three Premier League teams and faces the outsider, Fenerbahce, which ousted two-time UEFA Cup champion Sevilla after a penalty shootout in the previous round.

Schalke edged FC Porto on penalties to reach the last eight and now faces one of the championship favorites.

Barcelona is struggling to stay in touch with Real Madrid in the Spanish league title race, however, eight points behind after last weekend's 2-1 loss at home to Villarreal.

The identities of the two finalists will be known by the end of April. The first legs of the quarterfinals are April 1-2 with the returns April 8-9. The first legs of the semifinals are April 22-23 with the returns April 29-30. (***)

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