Carlo Ancelotti (r.) meets the man he showed the ropes to at Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane (l.) in the last eight of the Champions League. - © © gettyimages
Carlo Ancelotti (r.) meets the man he showed the ropes to at Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane (l.) in the last eight of the Champions League. - © © gettyimages

Champions League quarter-finals: Bayern face Real Madrid, Dortmund meet Monaco

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Bundesliga duo FC Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund will face Real Madrid and Monaco respectively in the last eight of the UEFA Champions League, while Schalke face Ajax in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.

Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid

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Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti will face the team he led to a record tenth UEFA Champions League title after the quarter-final draw on Friday pitched the record German champions against Real Madrid.

Bayern welcome the cup holders to the Allianz Arena on 12 April, with the return in Spain on 18 April.

Philipp Lahm: "It's a nice draw; a European classic. I recall many interesting battles with Real Madrid, both at home and in Madrid. It's nice to be able to run out at the Bernabeu again too. The atmosphere there is always great. It doesn't make much difference who is at home first because you can change a lot with a goal away from home. We need to get a good result in Munich. We've got a strong team and we know that we can score away from home.

Manuel Neuer: "It's always special to play against Real Madrid. I think any player looks forward to games like these. The Champions League atmosphere at the Bernabeu is always something really special. They're very interesting and tough opponents, but I don’t think that Real Madrid will be looking forward to facing Bayern Munich either. We've also got a coach who knows the Real Madrid team better than anybody. They will be two tight games and I think it's 50/50, and it could come down to something minor who wins it."

Xabi Alonso: "Wow! It's a great quarter-final against two clubs with great history. It's possibly the toughest possible draw, but when you get to the quarter-finals, all games are difficult. Of course it's a special game for me personally and I'm delighted to be able to play in Madrid again, but I know it's always hard at the Bernabeu. We have the home game first, though, and we want to extend our great run in front of our own fans and get a good result. We know Madrid well and we'll be ready."

Thiago Alcantara: "They're the defending champions; one of the best teams in Europe. They're bound to be two special matches and we're looking forward to them. It's the quarter-finals of the Champions League and that's always something special. It doesn't matter that we're at home first. We're looking forward to it and have got to be well prepared."

David Alaba: "It's going to be a great quarter-final. Real Madrid are a world-class team and we're going to have to be very well prepared. We want to impose our game on them. Of course it'll be nice to see Toni Kroos again. It's always nice to play against former teammates."

Jerome Boateng: "This is a top quarter-final tie. Given the names, it almost could be a premature final. We're going to need two top performances to get through. I also think that Real Madrid are not going to be happy to have to play against us. Both teams respect each other a lot. I'd say the chances are 50/50."

Thomas Müller: "They're top opponents. Whenever we got past Real in the past, we went a long way."

Borussia Dortmund vs AS Monaco

Borussia Dortmund will face Monaco in the last eight with both Bundesliga sides enjoying home advantage in the first legs. Dortmund welcome the Ligue 1 leaders to SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on 11 April before travelling to the Principality on 19 April.

Ajax vs Schalke

Marcel Schmelzer: "It's a very interesting challenge because they're going to push us right to our limits. Monaco don't only have excellent individuals, but they also play as a united, determined team. We're going to have to find these very same qualities in both games to have a chance. We can do it and we've proven this already in recent years in the Champions League."

Thomas Tuchel (head coach): "It's a very exciting and very difficult draw. Monaco knocked out one of the favourites by beating Manchester City over two legs. They're a very united team with great individual class and an outstanding coach. We're going to need our absolute best performance in two matches if we want to knock them out."

Michael Zorc (sporting director): "Finally we've got a draw we've never had in our European history, and it's one I'd also say is an even match. We're going to have to be very alert because Monaco are the Ligue 1 leaders and you don't lead Paris Saint-Germain and knock out Manchester City, who are strong rivals in Europe, by fluke."

Hans-Joachim Watzke (CEO): "Like Bayern, we wanted to avoid an all-German clash, so that worked out. Nevertheless, we're facing very difficult opponents in the shape of Monaco. I saw their return leg with Manchester City and it was impressive. And their goal difference in the French league is +58, which says a lot. We're looking forward to an attractive draw and this great quarter-final in the UEFA Champions League!"

Meanwhile, Schalke will have a short trip for their UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie as they were drawn against Ajax. The Royal Blues will travel to Amsterdam for the first leg on 13 April before hosting the Dutch giants on 20 April.