CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:TODAY'S DRAW for both the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Champions League will inspire interest, but it must also provoke heavy sighs across much of mainland Europe. Other countries have had their periods of domination before power shifted to another nation, but the case of England is unusual.

It was virtually assumed that four Premier League teams would be in the quarter-finals. They were all there last year and, in 2007, Arsenal, who had been eliminated in the last 16, were the only absentees from the usual set. The particularly unusual aspect of all this lies in the fact that Arsene Wenger’s team, along with Liverpool, Chelsea and defending champions Manchester United, are all realistic contenders to take the trophy.

Traditional rivals have already been purged from the tournament. The Premier League clubs, for instance, eliminated the Italian representatives in the last 16. Spain’s representatives do carry more credibility than the Serie A teams nowadays, but they too faltered, with Liverpool overwhelming Real Madrid.

Villarreal survive in the tournament, but do not have the means to compare with several other contenders. Barcelona have looked at times to be the most formidable of all, but their La Liga form has wavered somewhat. They can, of course, rally and recover their dashing, athletic style, but Pep Guardiola’s defence does not seem as secure as some contenders.

If means alone decided who would take control Bayern Munich would be well-placed. The move to the Allianz Arena has seen them flourish financially. In the latest Deloitte Football Money League, they were shown to have leapt from seventh to fourth in the list of the world’s richest clubs. Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, with the pound declining against the euro, were all behind them.

Bayern were traumatised into adopting a more aggressive approach in the transfer market. In 2007, the club came fourth in the Bundesliga and so failed even to qualify for the Champions League. Their pride was hurt and, furthermore, the fall from grace was incompatible with the expectations that came with a ground that, including standing areas, accommodates 69,000.

In the summer of 2007, Bayern spent in a fashion that would once have been unthinkable and, in any case, unseemly in the normally responsible environment of German football. The winger Franck Ribery was acquired from Marseille for a club record. Furthermore, Bayern signed the Italy forward Luca Toni. He was wooed with a salary double the sum Milan had in mind when they were planning to take him from Fiorentina.

Jurgen Klinsmann succeeded Ottmar Hitzfeld as coach in July 2008. An illustrious partnership was thus formed with the general manager Uli Hoeness. Bayern, all the same, have since paused to draw breath. The message emerging from the club is that the credit crunch will leave them well placed to add more excellent recruits at bargain prices in the summer. This, however, makes the present squad hard to gauge.

The club have consolidated and recently agreed new deals with the captain Mark van Bommel and the defender Martin Demichelis, but the condition of the team is open to debate. They sit four points behind the leaders Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga. On the other hand, they swamped Sporting Lisbon 12-1 on aggregate in the last 16 encounter. It is the sort of result that is virtually unthinkable at this level of football.

The side can certainly be dashing when Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ribery are on the flanks, as they were for the 5-0 rout in Lisbon with which the tie opened. None the less, the core of the Bayern team is not universally trusted and regulars will argue that the right partner is yet to be identified for Lucio at centre-back.

Existing resources are already being stretched. To the dismay of Bayern, striker Miroslav Klose did need surgery on an ankle injury that had not appeared serious at first. Hoeness’s assertion that he will be absent for six to eight weeks suggests that he can take no part in either leg of the quarter-finals. His club, all the same, is on the rise, and there is a hope that their prominence in the Money League will be reflected in the Champions League.

Few others, apart from Barcelona and the English clubs, can expect to enjoy real status. Porto did at least raise eyebrows when knocking out Atletico Madrid on the away goals rule. Something must linger at the club of the quality that made them winners of the tournament under Jose Mourinho in 2004, but it is still hard to overlook the fact that Arsenal overcame them with little fuss during a 4-0 win at the Emirates in September. Wenger would point out warily that his team was then defeated 2-0 in Portugal.

The English clubs must none the less feel confident, so long as they avoid each another. In that eventuality, all the same, one of them will be pitted against exhilarating Barcelona. - Guardian Service

United to orchestrate respect campaign

MANCHESTER UNITED will orchestrate a campaign urging their supporters to show respect for victims of the Hillsborough disaster if the club are drawn against Liverpool today in the Champions League quarter-finals, writes Daniel Taylor. The second leg of the tie will take place in the week that Liverpool mark the 20th anniversary of the tragedy and there are deep concerns behind the scenes about Rafael Benitez’s team being pitted against Alex Ferguson’s.

When the two clubs met at Old Trafford on Saturday a banner saying “Murderers” was draped over the middle section of the Stretford End. There were songs directed at Hillsborough and some Liverpool supporters could be seen making aeroplane gestures to mock the Munich air disaster of 1958.

Many visiting fans also chanted “There’s only one Harold Shipman” – apparently celebrating the fact that his victims were from the Manchester area.

Privately, there is a sense at Old Trafford that it would be better if the two clubs can avoid each other at such a delicate time in Liverpool’s history. However, if they are to meet in the Champions League for the first time United intend to be proactive and investigate various ways of trying to promote a more respectful relationship.

How that will take effect has not yet been discussed but one possibility is that Ferguson, the manager, and the club’s ambassador, Bobby Charlton, one of the survivors of the Munich air disaster, will speak out about the importance of good fan behaviour. - Guardian Service