March 21- Defending champions Bayern Munich were handed the perfect opportunity today to avenge their heartbreaking 1999 Champions League final defeat by Manchester United when the two were paired together in the quarterfinals in of this season’s competition.
All-conquering Bayern are on course for a second straight Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble but will not take United lightly despite the latter’s worst season domestically for a number of years.
“We should not be blinded by their current position in the league because they have outstanding players,” said Bayern captain Philipp Lahm. “We have to perform according to what we can and if we do that we have good chances of reaching the semi-finals.”
Borussia Dortmund, who lost to Bayern in the all-German final at Wembley in May last year, will start as firm outsiders after being paired with Real Madrid even though they edged past the Spanish giants in the semifinals last season.
Big-spending Paris St Germain, edging ever closer to landing Europe’s most prestigious club trophy, will meet Jose Mourinho’s equally ambitious Chelsea in what looks like an evenly-balanced contest and the remaining tie is an all-Spanish affair between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
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