Newly-crowned German
champions Bayern Munich will face fellow four-time European champions
Barcelona in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Bayern,
who lost last season's final on their own ground to Chelsea, will bid
to make their second consecutive final at Wembley on May 25, with the
first leg of the semi-final to be played in Munich on April 23.
The
draw means there will not be a repeat of three seasons ago when Primera
Division rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid met in the semi-finals, with
Borussia Dortmund drawing Jose Mourinho's side.
Madrid, who are
semi-finalists for a record 24th time and in the final four for the
third successive season, will play the second leg of their semi-final
against Dortmund at home.
They avoided a final-four clash with
Barcelona, who are making a record sixth successive semi-final
appearance, but instead will face the only team still unbeaten in the
competition this season.
Dortmund scored twice in injury time in
their quarter-final second leg tie against Malaga to progress to the
last four for the first time in 15 years.
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is relishing a test against a side he holds in such high regard.
"Barcelona
are the benchmark for me in Europe. They have won the Champions League
more than any other team in the recent years," Rummenigge told UEFA.com. "They are the best team in Europe at the moment, with fantastic attacking potential.
"We
played them in 2009 and received a real thumping. I remember that game
well and I don't really like to think about it, because it was quite
painful to watch. However, it's a wonderful opportunity to show that we
have improved a lot since then."
Emilio Butragueno, Real Madrid ambassador
Rummenigge also denied that playing the opening match at home is a disadvantage.
"I
think we will see two very good games, played at the highest possible
level," he said. "Furthermore, I think playing at home first is a slight
advantage, contrary to the popular belief that it's a disadvantage. We
saw that against Juventus, where people said that it might be a
disadvantage.
"But we produced a great performance at home and
that set the stage for the return leg and our progression into the
semi-finals. I'm really excited that we will get to play the best team
in Europe. I
Real manager Mourinho, who has guided the Spanish
side to their third successive semi-final, has matched Manchester United
boss Sir Alex Ferguson's record of seven appearances in the last four
of the European Cup. The Portuguese has also reached this stage with
Porto, Inter Milan and Chelsea.
Former Real striker and club
ambassador Emilio Butragueno insisted Dortmund will not be taken lightly
even though they have been absent from the final stages of the
tournament for a decade and a half.
"It's a pleasure and honour
for us to be here," Butragueno said. "We have a lot of respect for
Borussia Dortmund. We played them twice (in the group stage) but didn't
manage to beat them. This time we hope it will different as we want to
be in the final, that's what we are all dreaming of."
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