PARIS - Having been kept apart in the draw for the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona and Real Madrid will embark on a path this week that could lead to an all-Spanish showdown in the final in Munich on May 19.

Rampant in La Liga, where the top two enjoy a 22-point cushion over third-placed Valencia, Barca and Madrid are widely regarded as the two strongest sides in the European game.

Jose Mourinho's side have also benefited from a kinder draw in the Champions League, which paired them with Cypriot minnows Apoel. The side from Nicosia became the first team from Cyprus to reach the quarterfinals when they beat Lyon on penalties in the last 16 and today's home leg in the Cypriot capital will be the biggest game in the country's football history.

Today's other game sees Chelsea visit two-time champions Benfica, who are appearing in the last eight for the first time since 2006. Benfica beat Zenit Saint Petersburg 4-3 on aggregate in the previous round, but conceded the initiative in the Portuguese Liga title race to Porto after a goalless draw at Olhanense on Friday.

Chelsea have been much improved under interim coach Roberto di Matteo, having overturned a 3-1 deficit to edge Napoli in the last 16 following the dismissal of coach Andre Villas-Boas.

Barcelona find their route to the semifinals blocked by seven-time champions AC Milan.

The sides crossed swords in the group phase, with Milan drawing 2-2 at the Nou Camp before falling 3-2 in the return game, and Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri says tomorrow's first leg in Milan will require a thoughtful approach.

The remaining game tomorrow features two sides whose recent form could not be more contrasting. Bayern Munich visit Marseille having won their last five games. Marseille ended a run of seven straight defeats with a 1-1 draw at Nice on Saturday.