ARSENAL v Juventus on Tuesday March 28, then Juventus v Arsenal on Wednesday April 5.
Lyon v AC Milan : some game !
Benfica v Barcelona : Simao failed at Barca, he was far too young.
The fourth quarter is Inter or Ajax v Villareal.
Lyon midfielder Juninho is suspended from facing his pal Kaka in the first leg.
Benfica have won the European Cup twice, Barcelona once.
The player who scored the winning goal for Barcelona against Sampdoria in 1992 was Ronald Koeman, the current Benfica manager.
The night before that Wembley final I had watched them train and Koeman and Stoichkov were last in after the session that May evening, messing about, experimentally hitting ball after ball with wild spin, way off onto the track and into the stands, as Vialli, Busso and co filtered out of the tunnel for their training session.
Vialli ambled over to the watching Arrigo Sacchi, the national manager, and greeted the bald, stocky Sacchi with massive deference, as if he was the Pope.That little scene is branded in my brain.
ARSENAL will have to beat the Italian champions and league-leaders to reach the first CL semi in their history.
If Arsenal beat Juve they will play the winners of Inter/Ajax or Villareal.
ARSENE WENGER will welcome two of his proteges, Vieira and Trezeguet, to Highbury.
In December 4, 2001, Arsenal played Juventus in a very exciting game.
Vieira shot, Buffon spilled, Freddie netted, Sol own-goal, so unlucky, for 1-1, Thierry free-kick into the top corner for 2-1, then Freddie zipped onto Dennis’s magically juggled pass for 3-1 .
Before that game Arsene said you have to stop the crosses before they get to David Trezeguet.
“I know Trezeguet very well and I think the best way to stop him is to stop the source. When he gets in the box he knows exactly where to be, and has got a great nose for the goal. If you give him just one yard left or right he will punish you.”
Arsene also said, “I have always rated him very highly and believe that he has things that you cannot teach somebody. He is a natural.”
Arsene tried to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he was 15 but the Swede joined Ajax.
THE CLUBS met previously in a Cup Winners Cup semi in 1980. Maybe Roberto Bettega and David O’Leary could re-enact that famous “tackle” for charity.
The Irishman was carried off and the Italian was not sent off. I seem to recall Liam Brady showing world class evasion skills to avoid the flying studs of Marco Tardelli.