Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed Arsenal when naming his three favourites to win the Champions League.
On Friday the Champions League draw took place at UEFA headquarters in Nyom, Switzerland, with Arsenal drawing Bayern Munich and Manchester City being dealt a tie with Real Madrid.
The other side of the draw features ties between Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain versus Barcelona.
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It was a tricky draw for Arsenal who, should they beat Bayern over two legs, face either holders City or 14-time champions Real in the semis.
And five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, who has won the competition on five occasions with Manchester United and Real, has completely rules the Gunners out of contention for the tournament.
In fact, Ronaldo named City his favourite to win the tournament outright, despite his Old Trafford connection.
When asked to name his favourites to win the Champions League this season in January, Ronaldo replied via the Mirror: "Manchester City have a good chance to win the Champions League again. Favourites? Man City, Real Madrid, Bayern [Munich]…".
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The Portugal star then went on to wax lyrical about Pep Guardiola’s City and praised last season’s historical treble.
"Manchester City did amazing", Ronaldo said. "Congratulations on their season. Players, coach. Superb. Finally, they win the Champions League, they probably deserved it two years ago. I enjoy seeing them play."
The first legs of the Champions League quarter-final ties will be played on April 9 and 10, with the return fixtures scheduled for April 16 and 17.
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The semi-finals will be on April 30 and May 1, with the second legs on May 7 and 8.
The tournament’s final will take place at Wembley on June 1.
Elsewhere the draw for the Europa League quarter-final saw AC Milan taking on Roma, Liverpool facing Atalanta, Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen versus West Ham and Benfica against Marseille.
Benfica or Marseille will face Liverpool or Atalanta in one of the semi-finals while AC Milan or Roma versus Bayer Leverkusen or West Ham is the other semi-final.
Topics: Arsenal, Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo, Football, Manchester City, Real Madrid, UEFA
Chris Byfield