Friday, March 15, 2013

PSG ARE DANGEROUS OPPONENT

Barcelona's sporting director believes the French outfit will pose a serious threat, particularly as they have some former Blaugrana players in their ranks Barcelona's sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta says Paris Saint-Germain will be tough opponents in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The Liga leaders looked to be staring into the Champions League abyss after a 2-0 first-leg defeat to AC Milan in the last 16, but a stunning 4-0 turnaround at Camp Nou ensured they would be in the draw for the last eight. And the 51-year-old believes playing the second at leg at home in the tie will be an advantage, but concedes the Ligue 1 leaders are a dangerous side. "We have to look on playing the return game in   Barcelona as being positive," he told reporters. "PSG have very good players with a lot of talent. With their experience and knowledge of playing these types of games I am sure they will be challenging right until the end [of the tie]. "They are very competitive and we will be coming up against several players we know quite well." The former Blaugrana goalkeeper also believes every side left in the competition is there on merit but the most important thing for the Catalans is to ensure their name is in the hat for the semi-final draw in a few weeks' time. "The teams that have reached the quarter-finals are there because they have done well [in the tournament so far]," he added. "The draw can be seen as both good and bad, it all depends on whether we are back in Nyon for the semi-final draw in three weeks or not. "We have just experienced something in the round of 16 that demands us to be prudent." The first leg will take place at Parc des Princes on April 2, with the return fixture at Camp Nou on April 10.

Barcelona to face Paris Saint-Germain

The Blaugrana are rewarded for their second-leg triumph against AC Milan with a last-eight tie against the French giants Paris Saint-Germain will take on Barcelona in the standout tie of the Champions League quarter-finals after the draw at Uefa house in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday.

Barcelona, who won the competition in 2011 and overturned a 2-0 deficit to dump out AC Milan this season, will face Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain with the first leg taking place in the French capital.
Last season's finalists Bayern Munich face a tough clash with Serie A leaders Juventus in another huge fixture.
Primera Division champions Real Madrid are rewarded for their victory over Manchester United with a tie against Turkish giants Galatasaray, while Malaga, who knocked out Porto, take on German champions Borussia Dortmund.

The four first legs will take place on March, with the second legs scheduled for April 9 and 10. The draw for the semi-finals will be held on April 12, and the tournament concludes at Wembley Stadium on May 25.