Bayern Munich draw Villarreal in UEFA Champions League quarter-finals
Bayern Munich have been drawn against Villarreal in the quarter-finals of this season's UEFA Champions League, while Eintracht Frankfurt will face Barcelona in the UEFA Europa League.
"Villarreal are the defending Europa League champions," acknowledged Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann. "They have a very experienced coach and team, and have a clearly defined style of play. Beating Juve 3-0 [in the last-16] is no easy feat. We want to advance, but need a good performance over two legs."
The record German champions won through to this stage of the competition after thrashing Red Bull Salzburg 8-2 on aggregate, having previously topped Group E ahead of Benfica, Barcelona and Dynamo Kyiv.
Robert Lewandowski is the 12-goal top scorer in this season's competition, scored at a rate of one every 57 minutes he has played.
Watch: Lewy under the tactical microscope
Bayern and Villarreal have only played each other twice in this competition, in the group stages of the 2011/12 campaign. The Germans came out on top on both occasions, winning 2-0 at La Ceramica and 3-1 at the Allianz Arena.
"Champions League knockout games are special - how you perform on the day can have a huge bearing on two-legged ties," commented Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic. "We're Bayern, and go there full of confidence, but we won't underestimate them."
Bayern have been crowned European champions six times, most recently in 2020 when they won an unprecedented sextuple under current Germany manager Hansi Flick.
The winners will play the winners of the clash between Benfica and Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool in the semi-finals.
The draw in full
Chelsea vs. Real Madrid
Manchester City vs. Atletico Madrid
Villarreal vs. Bayern Munich
Benfica vs. Liverpool
The draw for the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals were also made on Friday, handing Eintracht Frankfurt a plum tie against Spanish giants Barcelona, while RB Leipzig will face Italian side Atalanta.
Frankfurt are the only previous winners of the Europa League/UEFA Cup remaining in this year's competition and they beat Real Betis to come through the round of 16. They boast a positive record against Spanish opposition in Europe, but this is their first encounter with the Catalans.
Leipzig and Atalanta also meet for the first time in competitive action. Die Roten Bullen have only previously faced Napoli from Italy.
The two legs of the quarter-final ties will be played on 7 and 14 April
The draw in full
RB Leipzig vs. Atalanta
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Barcelona
West Ham United vs. Lyon
Braga vs. Rangers
Semi-finals:
Leipzig/Atalanta vs. Braga/Rangers
West Ham/Lyon vs. Frankfurt/Barcelona
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