Rafael van der Vaart
So it comes to pass that Rafael van der Vaart will return to the Santiago Bernabeu with Tottenham Hotspur to face Real Madrid in the quarter finals of the 2011 UEFA Champions League in early April - hoping to keep the dream alive of an appearance at Wembley on Saturday, May 28th. That dream will also require overcoming the winners of the other all Premier League quarter-final which has pitched the other London club in the competition, Chelsea, against Manchester United – a repeat of the 2008 final in Moscow.
This all-white Spurs versus Real clash will undoubtedly produce a colourful 180 minutes of top drawer tactics with the self proclaimed “Special One” returning to London to do battle with Harry Redknapp, who has tuned around the fortunes of the White Hart Lane club since his arrival, which has seen his side lose only one game in the Group stages, and then dismiss Champions League aristocrats , AC Milan, on an away goal in the first knock out stage.
For van der Vaart the chance to undo ambitions of Jose Mourinho – the manager who sold him to Spurs – may be ample motivation to stop the Portuguese coach winning back to back European titles. However, a quick call to his Dutch National team mate at Inter Milan, Wesley Sneijder, would quickly dispel any sense that it will prove an easy task either side of Easter week.
For Manchester United the trip to Stamford Bridge maybe timely given the lack of fluency with Ancelloti’s side at the moment albeit it will be packed with tension given that Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are in pole position for another Premier League title. In Torres though, Chelsea may hold a scoring weapon should he return to form as former Liverpool players always seem to find added delight in beating the Reds. But on current form Chelsea might be viewed as the underdogs for this tie especially given the second is be at Old Trafford.
The trip that no team really fancied has fallen to Shakthar Donetsk of Ukraine, who despite beating the Catalan side in the Nou Camp at the group stages two seasons ago, will know that few have outwitted Pep Guardiola over recent years at the Camp Nou. This week it has been the off field news about Abidal’s liver tumour and his subsequent operation that has dominated the headlines in Catalunya with the football slipping slightly below the horizon.
Undoubtedly the Abidal story will exact an emotional response from the squad making Barca even tougher quarter final opponent’s.
Inter Milan have the easiest draw in theory travelling to Schalke 04 in Germany to a club that sacked their manager, Felix Magath, only days ago and replacing him with Ralf Rangnick who takes charge for the first time in the away match at St. Pauli on April 1st. Until then Seppo Eichkorn will be in charge of the team with a trip to second in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen, looming on Sunday as the first priority
Rangnick returns for his second spell as Schalke head coach, having previously held the position from 2004 to 2005 during which time the Gelsenkirchen side to runners-up in the Bundesliga and the final of the DFB Cup. Having moved to 1899 Hoffenheim following that success, who were then playing third-tier football in the Regional League South, he took them up to the top flight. However he resigned as Hoffenheim’s head coach on January 1st and will have little time to influence the team by the time he takes his charges to the San Siro a few days after he starts work.
Brazilian Leandro has secured a run of five consecutive wins in Serie A to move up to second place behind Milan and has settled things after the departure of Rafa Benitez and the manner of the last minute win at the Allianz Arena against Bayern suggests that the gods maybe smiling favourably on the current Champions League cup holders. The option of Schalke 04 in the quarter finals will be a relief given the club already met Tottenham Hotspur on the Group stages last year.
For Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo that return trip to Old Trafford has been avoided and unless both clubs reach the final they will not meet this season.
Quarter-final draw:
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
FC Barcelona v Shakthar Donetsk
Internazionale v Schalke 04
Chelsea v Manchester United
All ties are to be played April 5th / 6th and 12th / 13th.
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