Benitez fires Euro warning to Chelsea

Old masters: Guus Hiddink's Chelsea will face Raphael Benitez's Liverpool in the Champions League. It will be the first time the two managers have gone head-to-head in their current roles.

Andrew Fifield

13 April 2012

Rafael Benitez insisted that he will learn from last season's semi-final exit after Liverpool were paired with Chelsea for the fifth year in a row in today's Champions League quarter-final draw.

The Blues made it to the final in Moscow after the first leg at Anfield ended in a 1-1 draw following a late own goal from John Arne Riise and Chelsea won the return leg 3-2 after extra time.

Benitez is confident that his team will not make the same mistake again with the first game being on Merseyside on 8 April before the return in London on 14 April.

"Hopefully it won't make a difference to us that the second leg is away," said Benitez. "We have to look to get a positive result to take to Stamford Bridge. We need to make sure we don't make a mistake in the first leg like we did in last year's semi-final.

"They will be two tough games but we are playing well and clearly we are confident we can win. We are happy with the draw and we are looking forward to the next round.

"Chelsea are a very good team. We know each other very well and this is an exciting draw.

"We knew it would be difficult to avoid an English team but we need to approach the two games with confidence. We've done the double over them this season in the League but clearly these two games in the quarter-finals will be different."

Chelsea lost to the Anfield side at the semi-final stage in 2005 and 2007 while they also met in two group games in the 2005-2006 season but Guus Hiddink said that while he was aware of the history between the clubs it didn't worry him that they are meeting again.

"When you see all the teams in the draw, you always want this one and that one but I said beforehand that you have ultimately got to play them all if you have great desire to go all the way — Liverpool, Man U, Barcelona, whoever. I am okay with the draw.

"I watched the previous games and they were all memorable — they are never boring games between these two powerhouses of football."

UEFA also ensured today that Liverpool's second leg with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge will take place on 14 April, ensuring it does not clash with the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster 24 hours later.

While the clubs renew their European rivalry, England's other Champions League quarter-finalists were kept apart in the draw in Nyon with Arsenal paired with Spanish side Villarreal.

That means the Gunners will come up against former winger Robert Pires. He spent six seasons at Arsenal and helped the Gunners win two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and also reach the final of the Champions League before moving to Villarreal in 2006.

The former France international insists there will be no divided loyalties when his current side come up against the Gunners, though.

Pires said: "Cleary it's going to be a special game.

"It makes me very happy to return there and nowadays, as a Villarreal player, I want to win so I can continue in the competition with my team."

Manchester United will face Porto and will meet Arsenal in the last four if both teams win.

Rio Ferdinand felt the draw would give United a chance to avenge memories of 2004, when Jose Mourinho's Porto dumped

Sir Alex Ferguson's side out of the Champions League.

Ferdinand said: "We are excited and looking forward to it. We have a bit of unfinished business with Porto from five years ago.

"It's a bit of cliche but any team in the quarter-finals is going to be a decent side and Porto are there for a reason."

Barcelona will play Bayern Munich in the other match with the quarter-finals taking place next month.

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