Following two dramatic weeks knockout football the all-important draws for the semi-finals stages of Europe’s two major club tournaments take place on Friday, April 12.
Four of European football’s biggest names representing Spain and Germany – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich – will be in contention for a place in the Champions League final at Wembley, and they will find out who they face in the semi-finals as the draw is made in Nyon.
There will also be the draw for semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League where four sides, including Chelsea, will discover their opponents in the last four of the competition.
Live coverage of both draws from Nyon, Switzerland, will feature on Sky Sports News and British Eurosport.
Online streaming from Nyon will also be available via the UEFA website.
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UPDATE: Semi Final Draw
Bayern Munich (GER) v Barcelona (ESP) Borussia Dortmund (GER) v Real Madrid (ESP)The top two teams in both Spain and Germany will be involved in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
Barcelona and Bayern Munich will be joined by Real Madrid CF and Borussia Dortmund in Friday’s draw in Nyon
Bayern were crowned Bundesliga champions last weekend and are 20 points ahead of Dortmund – the title winners in the last two seasons – who themselves hold a six-point cushion in second place.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are closing in on their 22nd Spanish Liga crown, 13 points clear of Madrid with eight games to go.
However attention will be solely on European matters on Friday with Madrid continuing their quest for a tenth European Cup, Barça and Bayern a fifth and Dortmund their second.
The open draw – meaning no seeding or country protection – throws up the intriguing possibility of all-Spanish and all-German semi-finals.
Alternatively, should Bayern and Dortmund and Madrid and Barcelona be kept apart in the draw, there may be a final between two clubs from the same country – which would be the fourth in UEFA Champions League history and the first since 2008.
The draw for both the Champions and Europa League will start at 11.00am BST at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, with Ruud van Nistelrooy assisting UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino in conducting it.
The semi-final ties will be played on April 23/24 and April 30/May 1, with the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League final being held at Wembley, London, on Saturday 25 May, kicking off at 7.45pm.
For administrative purposes, the last step of the draw will define whether the winner of semi-final 1 or the winner of semi-final 2 will be the designated home team for the final.
Live coverage of the semi-final draw proceedings will be broadcast on Sky Sports News and British Eurosport.
… Friday 13th April UEFA Champions League: Semi Final DrawLIVE: 11.00am-12.00pm – Sky Sports News LIVE: 11.00am-11.30am – British Eurosport
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UPDATE: Semi Final Draw
Fenerbahce (TUR) v Benfica (POR) FC Basel (SUI) v Chelsea (ENG)The semi-final draw for European football’s second major club competition will also be made in Nyon.
Champions League holders Chelsea are the only English representative in the last four after Newcastle and Tottenham were knocked out in the quarter-final stage to Benfica and FC Basel respectively.
As with the preceeding Champions League draw, the semi-final pairings are determined by an open draw in which no teams are seeded.
The semi-final ties will be played on April 25 and May 2 with this year’s final being held at the Amsterdam ArenA on May 15.
Live coverage of the Europa League semi-final draw will be shown on British Eurosport, with updates and reaction on Sky Sports News.
… Friday 13th April UEFA Europa League: Semi Final Draw LIVE: 11.00am-11.30am – British Eurosport.
