Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp on Champions League final collision course

Manchester City and Liverpool have been drawn on different sides of the Champions League knockout stages with the two Premier League giants potentially meeting in the final

Posted Saturday, March 20, 2021 by Dailystar.co.uk

Bitter rivals Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are on a collision course to meet in the Champions League final.

That is the mouthwatering prospect after all three English clubs were kept apart in the draw for the quarter finals and semi finals.

Klopp's Liverpool have been handed a titanic showdown with Real Madrid in the last eight - and could face Premier League rivals Chelsea in the semis if Thomas Tuchel's men can overcome Porto.

The clash with Zinedine Zidane's men will be a repeat of the controversial 2018 final, when Gareth Bale scored twice to help the Spanish giants win 3-1 to make it a hat-trick of titles.

Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp often clash in the Premier League

But Manchester City and Guardiola will have to do it the hard way if they are to reach their first ever final.

The runaway Premier League leaders will have to get past Borussia Dortmund and hot-shot striker Erling Haaland in the quarter final - and then overcome reigning champions Bayern Munich.

It could see Guardiola going up against his former club, who have not lost in Europe since 2019 and are unbeaten in their last 31 home games in all competitions.

City have targeted Haaland in a £140m deal this summer, while Guardiola will also have to stop England sensation Jadon Sancho, who left the Etihad for Dortmund in 2017 following a bust-up with the Spaniard.

Guardiola's side remain the favourites to win the competition this season, but the former Barcelona boss has never led his side past the last eight stage since taking charge at the Etihad in 2016.

He said: "Dortmund is tough, but all of them would've been. We try to play a good first game and then a good second game. If we do good games, we will go through, if they do good games they will.

"There are no more secrets than that. We will face them and it's a privilege to be one of the last eight teams."

When asked about being interested in Haaland, he added: "He's a player for Borussia Dortmund. I don't like it when people talk about our players. You understand I cannot answer this question."

The Blues appear to have the easier route to the final, but Tuchel knows he can take nothing for granted after seeing Porto knock out Juventus in the previous round.

He said: "Many people will make us favourites against Porto. But that does not help. You can ask people in Turin if it helps to be favourites."

The quarter-finals will take place on April 6-7 and 13-14, with the final being held in Istanbul on May 29.