What teams said after the Champions League draw

The draw for the Champions League knockout round was considered quite harsh when a series of big teams had to face each other: Real Madrid-Manchester United and AC Milan - Barcelona. Meanwhile, many matches were considered less attractive when both sides were marginal teams.

Here are the quick reactions from the teams after the draw.

AC Milan - Barcelona

“Last season we played Barcelona twice (in the group stage and the quarter-finals), but this time we will only play them once. We are used to the atmosphere in Catalonia. We will face a perfect machine, even if they have had many problems in the group stage this season.”

"This is the biggest challenge we can face, but if Milan can overcome Barca then we can absolutely win and advance to the championship."

- Umberto Gandini (sporting director of AC Milan)

Real Madrid - Manchester United

“This is a match that everyone wants to see and yet doesn’t want to see. The audience wants to save this great match for the next round.”

“In the past, the only time we beat Real Madrid in the Champions League was when we won at Wembley (in 1968), so hopefully that's a good omen.”

- John Alexander (Manchester United secretary)

Arsenal - Bayern Munich

“We know Arsenal very well, it was a lucky draw and we are happy with the result. We will not underestimate Arsenal, try to have a good game in London and score a goal.”

- Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (President of Bayern Munich)

“It’s a good result. I’m looking forward to playing against Poldi (Lukas Podolski) and Per (Mertesacker). It’s always special to play against national team-mates.”

- Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich Captain)

Galatasaray - Schalke 04

“When you get into the last 16 of the Champions League, no opponent is easy. But I clearly see a chance for us to reach the quarter-finals if we play well.”

- Jens Keller (Schalke coach)

Celtic - Juventus

“In terms of reputation, it is a great match and to overcome Juve will certainly be difficult. But we are ready to face everything and all the fans are looking forward to this match.”

- Neil Lennon (Celtic coach)

Shakhtar Donetsk - Borussia Dortmund

“It’s obviously not the result we wanted. It’s a tough test but we showed in the group stage that Dortmund can compete with the best teams. Maybe the fact that the Ukrainian league starts after the knockout stages will be an advantage for us.”

- Hans-Joachim Watzke (Borussia Dortmund owner)

Valencia - Paris Saint-Germain

“This is a special match. PSG are a strong team with great players. It will be a big challenge for Valencia, so we need to get in shape before the two matches against PSG.”

- Jordi Bruixola (Valencia spokesman)

"I played at Valencia, and even though it was 20 years ago, the crowd is still crazy. They have been to the Champions League final twice and have a lot of experience."

- Leonardo (PSG Sports Director)

According to (Vietnam+) - DT