The UEFA Champions League draw, which includes Turkish champion Fenerbahçe that sent Spain’s Sevilla packing in the first knockout round, will be conducted by UEFA General Secretary David Taylor and the ambassador for the final in Moscow on May 21, Russian goalkeeping legend Rinat Dasaev. The UEFA Cup draw will follow and will also be conducted by Taylor and the ambassador for the May 15 final in Manchester, 1964 European Footballer of the Year Denis Law, according to a report on uefa.com.
The eight winners of the ties played in the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League will compete in the quarterfinals, with the pairings determined by an open draw -- meaning no country protection. The quarterfinals will be played on a home-and-away basis, with the first legs on April 1 (Tuesday) and April 2 (Wednesday) and the return matches the following week. The four winning teams will, at that stage, know who they will meet in the semifinals (to be played on April 22 and 23 and April 29 and 30), as the pairings will also be decided during the draw ceremony.
Another draw will also decide whether the winner of semifinal one or the winner of semifinal two will be considered, for administrative purposes, the “home” team at the May final. The same procedure will apply in the draw for the quarterfinals and semifinals of the UEFA Cup. The quarterfinal matches will be played on April 3 and April 10, and the semifinals on April 24 and May 1. Turkey has no team left in the UEFA Cup competition after Galatasaray was eliminated by German Bundesliga’s Leverkusen.
Serra Ataman 