United face Bayern in Champions League quarters

Luis Figo shows a ticket with Bayern Munich next to UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino during the draw. — AP

Nine-time champions Real Madrid will have a revenge meeting with Borussia Dortmund who dumped them out in last year’s semi-finals. Four-time winners Barcelona take on Atletico Madrid in an all-Spanish blockbuster while Chelsea tackle Paris Saint-Germain in the battle of Europe’s nouveaux riche.

“These are the toughest quarter-finals in history,” said Barcelona’s sporting director and former player Andoni Zubizarreta. “These will all be big confrontations.”

Runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern will relish the chance of taking on a United side that snatched a 2-1 victory from the jaws of defeat in the 1999 final. The two teams have played each other nine times and Bayern will definitely start this one as favourites.

United have had a stuttering season under new coach David Moyes. They burst into life this week when they defeated Olympiakos 3-0 to overcome a two goal deficit and reach the quarter finals. With United 12 points behind rivals Manchester City in the fourth Champions League spot from England’s Premier League, winning the competition is their most realistic chance of qualifying for next year’s competitition.

The first leg will be played at Old Trafford. Bayern defender Philipp Lahm warned against complacency despite United’s struggles.

“We can’t allow Man Utd’s current position in the Premier League table to affect our mindset for this game,” the veteran German international said. “We’ll need all our strength but we have a good chance of reaching the semi-finals.” Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, bankrolled by Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich, travel take on Paris St Germain who have become a force with Qatari finance The Portuguese two-time European champion has never lost at the quarter-final stages.