Uncanny. Liverpool vs Juventus is a fixture with so much history and tragedy, it felt inevitable that they were the first two clubs out of the hat. Chelsea and Bayern is the other big tie. A Milan derby will be dull. Lyon or PSV? Semifinal-fodder for whoever they face next.<br />
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In full:<br />
Liverpool v Juventus <br />
AC Milan v Inter Milan <br />
Lyon v PSV <br />
Chelsea v Bayern Munich<br />
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And of course, all eyes of football fans in Spain will be on… err, no-one. The best league in Europe has not a single representative in the biggest club competition in the world. Why?<br />
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Partly due to the cyclical nature of the game. Real Madrid are in a state of flux, changing managers, losing shape in the team. Other teams have faded, such as Valencia and Deportivo. Luck has played a large part with Barca being knocked out by Chelsea.<br />
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But it was only a few years ago that there were 3 Spanish semifinalists, and no Italian clubs in the quarter finals. Was Italian football in decline? Hardly. AC Milan won it two seasons later.
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