Liverpool handed Arsenal assignment

Arsenal FC will take on Liverpool FC in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after the draw was made in Nyon, Switzerland.

All-English affair
Arsenal, who eliminated holders AC Milan in the first knockout round and reached the 2006 final, also experienced an all-English quarter-final in 2003/04 when losing to Chelsea FC, while five-time European champions Liverpool, beaten by Milan in last year's final, have played Chelsea six times in the competition in the last three seasons. AS Roma, who knocked out Real Madrid CF in the last round, face another quarter-final against Manchester United FC, European Champion Clubs' Cup winners in 1968 and 1999, who defeated the Italian side 8-3 on aggregate at the same stage last term.

Schalke debut
FC Schalke 04, who got past FC Porto on penalties to make the last eight for the first time, will have home advantage for the first leg of their tie against FC Barcelona, winners of this tournament in 1992 and 2006. Chelsea, semi-finalists in three of the last four campaigns, will visit Fenerbahçe SK, competing in the last eight for the first time and conquerors of two-time UEFA Cup winners Sevilla FC, in their first leg. The ties will be played on 01/02 and 08/09 April.

Final route
Today's proceedings at the House of European Football featured a straight draw involving all eight clubs without seedings or country protection. As well as the quarter-finals, the draw was also made for the semi-finals, meaning teams know who they will meet over two legs on 22/23 and 29/30 April should they progress. If Chelsea advance, they will tackle either Arsenal or Liverpool in another all-Premier League tussle, while Schalke or Barcelona will encounter Roma or United in the last four.

Moscow final
The final will be held at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, on Wednesday 21 May at 20.45CET (22.45 local time). The first batch of 10,500 tickets are available for sale to fans worldwide via uefa.com until 12.00CET on 19 March.

2007/08 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals
1st leg: 01/02 April
2nd leg: 08/09 April

1) Arsenal FC(Eng) - Liverpool FC(Eng)
2) AS Roma (ITA) - Manchester United FC (ENG)
3) FC Schalke 04 (GER) - FC Barcelona (ESP)
4) Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) - Chelsea FC (ENG)

007/08 UEFA Champions League semi-finals
1st leg: 22/23 April
2nd leg: 29/30 April

1) Winner quarter-final 1 - Winner quarter-final 4

2) Winner quarter-final 3 - Winner quarter-final 2


2007/08 UEFA Champions League final
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Wednesday 21 May

Winner semi-final 2 - Winner semi-final 1



reference: "uefa.com"

Fenerbahçe win thriller at Sevilla

Volkan Demirel turned from villain to hero to send Fenerbahçe SK into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the first time, saving three spot-kicks after hosts Sevilla FC had won 3-2 to take their first knockout round tie the distance.

Redemption
Two errors inside the first nine minutes from the visiting keeper had given Sevilla the perfect start, allowing Daniel Alves and Seydou Keita to score, but two Deivid goals either side of a Frédéric Kanouté effort forced extra time following Fenerbahçe's 3-2 first-leg victory in Istanbul. Sevilla keeper Andrés Palop denied Edu after no further goals were forthcoming, before Volkan Demirel grabbed the headlines with saves from Julien Escudé, Enzo Maresca and Alves.

Early drama
The local fans put on a captivating show before kick-off, full of colour and chanting, and their favourites soon gave them the goal they craved. Kanouté won a foul 20 metres out and, with five minutes on the clock, Alves curled in the free-kick via Volkan Demirel's misjudged attempt to save. That put Sevilla ahead on away goals and they quickly took advantage of the keeper's shattered confidence. The Fenerbahçe No1 was returning to action after being suspended at the weekend, and still looked rusty when Keita then thrashed a shot through his gloves from distance. Frustrated, Zico's men began collecting yellow cards, including one for Gökhan Gönül, who misses the next match.

Fenerbahçe revival
Volkan Demirel made some amends in the 22nd minute, keeping out Keita, and by that point Fenerbahçe had earned themselves a lifeline from a Mehmet Aurélio corner which found Deivid unmarked just inside the area. The Brazilian fired hard into the bottom left corner for his third goal of this season's competition, before his compatriot Alex and left-back Gökçek Vederson came close to putting Fenerbahçe back on top overall.

Kanouté volley
If that signalled a resurgence from the Turkish champions, Kanouté had other ideas and restored Sevilla's two-goal cushion four minutes before the break. The striker chested down Alves's pass and volleyed in courtesy of a deflection off Gökhan Gönül. The visitors refused to wilt, however, and it took a goalline clearance from Christian Poulsen to stop Edu providing an immediate reply in first-half stoppage time

Intelligent football
If Sevilla's early goals had made for a thrilling contest, the double UEFA Cup winners appeared more intent on defending their lead after the restart, no doubt with coach Manuel Jiménez's call for intelligent football ringing in their ears after a dressing-room reminder. That gave Fenerbahçe the breathing space to create chances, as Alex reminded everyone when he drove the ball just over from the left.

Attacking substitution
Sevilla were starting to betray nerves by this point, while Zico attempted to give his charges an edge by introducing Semih Şentürk for Selçuk Şahin. The substitute had come on to score the winner in Istanbul, yet after Keita and Alves had both gone close at the other end, it was Deivid who once again made the difference. With eleven minutes remaining he was picked out at the far post and took his moment to fire past the helpless Palop after his initial attempt had come back off the woodwork.

Late chances
Both sides had late chances to clinch victory but the game headed into extra time where, despite producing ten goals in the preceding 180 minutes, neither team could deliver the decisive punch. That meant penalties for the opportunity to make history and – for Volkan Demirel – the occasion to return home a redeemed hero.

reference:"uefa.com"

Fenerbahçe not afraid of Chelsea

Fenerbahçe SK have upset the odds to reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the first time and must do so again to overcome Chelsea FC – but winger Uğur Boral is staying optimistic.

First meeting
The Turkish champions and the London club have never met in European competition, though each team boasts a striker familiar to the opposition – Chelsea's former Fenerbahçe forward Nicolas Anelka and Mateja Kežman, who moved from Stamford Bridge in 2005 and ended up replacing the Frenchman in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe will hope to prolong their perfect home run in this season's tournament when Chelsea visit on Wednesday 2 April. FC Internazionale Milano, PSV Eindhoven and PFC CSKA Moskva all fell at the Sükrü Saraçoglu Stadium in the group stage before Sevilla FC lost 3-2 in the opening leg of the first knockout round. However, Chelsea have won three UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in the last five campaigns so will have plenty of confidence when Fenerbahçe come to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday 8 April.

Premonition
Still, Uğur Boral is sounding upbeat about the prospects of a side who qualified for the knockout stage for the first time in five attempts and are contesting only their second European quarter-final, following their last-eight appearance in the 1963/64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. The 25-year-old said: "Before the draw was made in Nyon, I had a feeling we were going to play Chelsea. I think the other English teams are stronger than Chelsea. We are going to do our utmost to beat Chelsea and qualify for the semi-finals. We are talented, strong and fit, so there is no reason for us to fail."

'Not easy'
Chelsea won on their last trip to Turkey, 5-0 at Galatasaray AS in 1999, and should they prevail an English finalist will be guaranteed as the winners of this tie will meet either Arsenal FC or Liverpool FC. Manager Avram Grant said: "No game in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals is easy. This team played well in the group stage – they beat Inter, they beat all the teams at home and they played very well away to Sevilla, where Arsenal had lost. Not an easy draw but our target is still the same – to succeed in the UEFA Champions League. We have never reached the final, we want to get there and this is our main target, to do it as soon as possible."

reference: "uefa.com"