Michael Carrick is pleased to have avoided English opposition
in the Champions League quarter-finals, but is still expecting a tough
test against FC Porto.
The Reds entertain the Dragons,
and current leaders of the Portuguese league, at Old Trafford on
Tuesday 7 April, before travelling to Portugal on Wednesday 15 April.
For
the fifth season running Liverpool will take on Chelsea with the
winners facing either Barcelona or Bayern Munich, while Arsenal or
Villarreal await the victors of United against Porto.
Carrick was pleasantly surprised by the draw after feeling a British match-up was on the cards for the defending champions.
"There
was always going to be a chance that the English teams would play each
other and I think we thought it was our turn," he told ManUtd.com.
"It’s
tough to play another English side because you know each other so well
and that’s been proved in the past when Liverpool have played Chelsea.
They’ve got each other again and in recent years the games have been
tight and tough games.
"When you play in European competitions
it’s nice to play a team from another country and in that respect we’re
happy with the draw.
"It’s only a good draw if we get through so we’ll have to wait and see what happens. But we’re feeling upbeat about it."