The Clasico final is on - Barcelona and Real Madrid on course for dream showdown Jose Mourinho's men will face Apoel Nicosia in the last eight of the Champions League following Friday's draw, while Pep Guardiola's side meets Milan in the quarterfinals.

That was the one Guardiola had said he wanted to avoid, but Barca will be confident of progressing after claiming a thrilling 3-2 win over the Rossoneri at San Siro in the group stages. Should - as will be expected - both sides advance to the semifinals, Madrid will face the winner of Bayern Munich-Marseille and the Catalans will meet either Chelsea or Benfica. After Barca claimed its place in the last eight with a stunning 7-1 thumping of Bayer Leverkusen to secure a 10-2 aggregate success last week, Madrid had to keep its side of the bargain and duly did so as it thrashed CSKA Moscow 4-1 on Wednesday to remain on course for La Decima - a 10th success in European football's premier club competition. Madrid got to keep the first European Cup after winning it five times in a row from 1956-60 - and it used to be considered 'Madrid's' competition. Three triumphs in five years around the turn of the century saw Madrid add Champions League color to its 'black-and-white' successes from the 1960s. But it has now been 10 years since Los Blancos claimed the trophy and the tide has turned in Barcelona's favor in recent years. Eager to return the club to its former glory and challenge Barca's hegemony, Madrid president Florentino Perez looked to Mourinho in the summer of 2010. This was after the Portuguese had led Inter to Champions League glory at, of all places, the Santiago Bernabeu, and eliminated Barcelona in the semifinals. But Mourinho was unable to repeat that trick the following season as Madrid lost out to Barca over two games in the last four, losing 2-0 at the Bernabeu before a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou saw the club miss out on a place in the final. Dreams of La Decima died - and against the team's eternal enemy. Conspiracy theories surfaced as Mourinho attacked UEFA and almost everyone concerned with Barcelona, claiming the Catalans had referees on their side after Pepe was sent off in the first match. Tensions boiled over again in the next Clasico clashes, as Barca beat Madrid once more to the Spanish Supercopa in August, while Guardiola's side also defeated Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. But the last time Barca and Madrid met in a single game at a neutral venue, Mourinho's men came out on top, sealing victory in the final of the Copa del Rey at Mestalla last April in extra time after 90 goalless minutes. So the scene is set now for another classic Clasico, a mouthwatering May meeting in Munich - the seventh and last clash of the season between Europe's two top teams. UEFA president Michel Platini only last week said Madrid against Barcelona would make for a "great final" at the Allianz Arena. Now the dream date is a step closer to reality. Spain awaits. Europe expects.

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