The road to the UEFA Champions League Final in Milan will not be an easy one for the trophy holders.
The European Federation took the time on Friday to draw the last eight teams remaining in the competition into four fascinating quarterfinal match-ups. But perhaps the team with the toughest game is the defending champion Barcelona, who have to go through their domestic rivals Atlético Madrid in order to reach the semifinals.
This has become a true rivalry since the 2013/14 season, when both teams met six times and the Colchoneros did not lose once. Then Luis Enrique came around, and everything changed. Barça has won every one of the past four meetings, which certainly makes the Catalans favorites for the tie.
However, as we've learned from every single game between these two, it is the toughest possible fixture for the Blaugranes. Diego Simeone's defense is nearly impossible to break through, and Antoine Griezmann up front can cause problems any time he has the ball. To make things even tougher, Atlético will play the deciding second leg at home, which obligates Barça to get a good result at Camp Nou to have some comfort going into the crazy atmosphere of the Vicente Calderón.
The last time Barça were eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals was precisely against Atleti in 2014, with the Madrid side winning 2-1 on aggregate and shocking the world. They certainly can do it once again.
These are the full results of today's quarterfinal draw:
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