Sides await Euro draw fate

Follow the UEFA Champions League draw with Sky Sports

Last updated: 18th December 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Sides await Euro draw fate
FOLLOW THE DRAW
You can follow the draw for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages live on Sky Sports News and skysports.com from 11am. We will also bring you news of the latter stages of the Europa League plus all the reaction to events in Nyon.

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Jose Mourinho is lying in wait for Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in Friday's draw for the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League.

The draw, which takes place at 11am and will be shown live on Sky Sports News, will see the sides that finished top of their group - including the three English clubs left in the competition - paired with a runner-up.

That means there is a good chance of another encounter between an English club and Mourinho's Inter Milan side.

Mourinho's Inter crossed swords with Sir Alex Ferguson's United at the same stage last season but ended up losing 2-0 in the second leg after a goalless draw at the San Siro.

Among other possible opponents, AC Milan have plenty of European Cup pedigree, although they are having some struggles this season.

Bayern Munich and Lyon, who effectively put paid to Liverpool's European campaign, will also be ones to avoid.

The two Spanish giants - reigning champions Barcelona and group stage top-scorers Real Madrid - topped their groups meaning there is no possible clash with Cristiano Ronaldo before the quarter-finals.

Bordeaux are also out of the equation until the quarter-finals.

In the Europa League, Liverpool face the prospect of potentially tough opponents after Uefa confirmed they will not be seeded.

Poor goal difference in the Champions League groups means Rafael Benitez's side miss out on being among the 16 top seeds for the new-look competition which replaces the Uefa Cup.

It means Liverpool, along with Everton and Fulham who are also unseeded, face playing strong teams including a trio from Germany - Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg and Hamburg - as well as Juventus, holders Shakhtar Donetsk from Ukraine and Turkish club Galatasaray.

The seeded teams are also given the advantage of playing the second leg at home.