http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3760939/
DATES SET FOR ATLETICO
Posted on: Fri 11 Apr 2014
We will play Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League,
with the first leg to be played away from home.
The first leg will be played on Tuesday 22 April at the Vicente Calderon,
with the return leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday 30 April.
The draw was made at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland on Friday morning UK
time and sees us paired with the side currently leading their domestic
league. We last met Atletico in the Super Cup in 2012 when the Spanish
side ran out 4-1 winners.
Our only meeting in the Champions League came in the 2009/10 group stage
when we won 4-0 at the Bridge, with the return fixture in Madrid ending in
a 2-2 draw. Atletico reached this stage after defeating Barcelona 2-1 on
aggregate in the quarter-finals.
Speaking in Switzerland after the draw, Chief Executive Ron Gourlay said:
'There are no easy draws at this stage and looking around at the teams in
the room for the draw today, it was always going to be very difficult. The
important thing was getting ourselves into the semi-final, continuing the
evolution of the football club and then taking whoever comes out of the
hat.
'Atletico are a fantastic side but so are the other teams who are in the
last four so it's set up for two fantastic games. I am sure Jose Mourinho
will make sure we are totally prepared and ready for these games when they
come around, but there are important games to take care of before that.
'If someone said to me at the start of the season that with five weeks to
go, we are still in the Champions League semi-final and in the shake-up
for the Premier League, I would have taken that. This is what we work for
all season.
'We have reached this stage of the Champions League many times in the last
few years and we are up there competing again. Everyone has done well -
Jose, the players and the backroom staff, and the 12th man against Paris
Saint-Germain was the fans when we needed them most. The last seven or
eight minutes they pulled us through enormously and we can look forward to
the next few weeks and see where we finish up.'
Gourlay also spoke about goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, currently on loan at
Atletico Madrid. UEFA today [Friday] released a statement in response to
media reports on the situation.
'The loan was arranged at the start of the season and it is quite simple,
Courtois can play against Chelsea, that was never in doubt,' said Gourlay.
'Regarding the UEFA statement, we will evaluate that over the course of
the next 24 or 48 hours and we will comply with the rules, and he can play
against Chelsea in both games.'
Real Madrid face Bayern Munich in the other semi-final.
The full draw is:
Real Madrid v Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
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DATES SET FOR ATLETICO
Posted on: Fri 11 Apr 2014
We will play Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League,
with the first leg to be played away from home.
The first leg will be played on Tuesday 22 April at the Vicente Calderon,
with the return leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday 30 April.
The draw was made at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland on Friday morning UK
time and sees us paired with the side currently leading their domestic
league. We last met Atletico in the Super Cup in 2012 when the Spanish
side ran out 4-1 winners.
Our only meeting in the Champions League came in the 2009/10 group stage
when we won 4-0 at the Bridge, with the return fixture in Madrid ending in
a 2-2 draw. Atletico reached this stage after defeating Barcelona 2-1 on
aggregate in the quarter-finals.
Speaking in Switzerland after the draw, Chief Executive Ron Gourlay said:
'There are no easy draws at this stage and looking around at the teams in
the room for the draw today, it was always going to be very difficult. The
important thing was getting ourselves into the semi-final, continuing the
evolution of the football club and then taking whoever comes out of the
hat.
'Atletico are a fantastic side but so are the other teams who are in the
last four so it's set up for two fantastic games. I am sure Jose Mourinho
will make sure we are totally prepared and ready for these games when they
come around, but there are important games to take care of before that.
'If someone said to me at the start of the season that with five weeks to
go, we are still in the Champions League semi-final and in the shake-up
for the Premier League, I would have taken that. This is what we work for
all season.
'We have reached this stage of the Champions League many times in the last
few years and we are up there competing again. Everyone has done well -
Jose, the players and the backroom staff, and the 12th man against Paris
Saint-Germain was the fans when we needed them most. The last seven or
eight minutes they pulled us through enormously and we can look forward to
the next few weeks and see where we finish up.'
Gourlay also spoke about goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, currently on loan at
Atletico Madrid. UEFA today [Friday] released a statement in response to
media reports on the situation.
'The loan was arranged at the start of the season and it is quite simple,
Courtois can play against Chelsea, that was never in doubt,' said Gourlay.
'Regarding the UEFA statement, we will evaluate that over the course of
the next 24 or 48 hours and we will comply with the rules, and he can play
against Chelsea in both games.'
Real Madrid face Bayern Munich in the other semi-final.
The full draw is:
Real Madrid v Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
--
ＫＴＢＦＦＨ
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