Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid were kept apart in the draw for the Champions League quarter and semifinals here on Friday, setting up the possibility of a final showdown between the two in Munich.

Real Madrid got the draw everyone wanted in the shape of Cypriot minnows APOEL Nicosia, while defending champions Barcelona landed Italian powerhouse AC Milan.

Michael Schumacher rolled back the years Friday as he topped practice for the first time since returning from retirement in 2010, ahead of this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

The seven-time champion, 43, clocked a best lap of one minute and 29.183 seconds in his Mercedes in the final minute of a dramatic day's action at rain-hit Albert Park.

Top seed and defending champ Novak Djokovic stepped up his bid for his third Indian Wells title by easing past 12th seed Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday.

World number one Djokovic has now beaten Almagro in all three career meetings and he has reached the Indian Wells semis for the third year in a row.

Three time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova rallied to defeat fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the Indian Wells semi-finals Thursday.

Sharapova needed three hours and five minutes to dispatch Kirilenko in their first meeting since the opening round of the 2010 Australian Open, which Kirilenko won in three sets.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho may be inching towards becoming the first coach to win the Champions League with three different clubs, but it is the La Liga crown that remains his chief target.

Real tackle Malaga this weekend in search of their 22nd win from 23 games and boasting a 10-point lead over bitter rivals Barcelona in the title race.

Champions AC Milan will look to continue their march to a second straight scudetto crown when they travel to inconsistent Parma on Saturday.

Milan are four points clear at the top and with what is widely regarded as the best squad and best individuals in Serie A, they are expected to face few difficulties in retaining their title.

Hertha Berlin coach Otto Rehhagel has told his players they must show courage and passion if they are to throw a spanner in the works of Bayern Munich's goal-machine on Saturday in the German league.

Bayern have scored a remarkable 14 goals in their last two games having hammered Hoffenheim 7-1 in Munich in the Bundesliga, then demolished FC Basel 7-0 in the Champions League.

Roberto Mancini saw his expensive Manchester City side fail in Europe once more on Thursday, but still insisted they can still win their first ever Premier League title.

The Italian held himself responsible for the end of their European interest, as a 3-2 second leg victory led to defeat on away goals against Sporting Lisbon, a team currently fourth in the Portuguese league.

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he was at a loss to explain Manchester United's dismal performances in Europe this season, after they were knocked out of the Europa League by Athletic Bilbao.

United were outplayed in both legs of their last-16 tie and went down 5-3 on aggregate after a chastening 2-1 defeat at Bilbao's imposing San Mames stadium on Thursday.

Barcelona's French international defender Eric Abidal will undergo a liver transplant in "the coming weeks", the Spanish club said Thursday.

The 32-year-old, who signed from Lyon in 2007, underwent surgery in March 2011 to remove a liver tumor.