Arsenal have been drawn against Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The Barclays Premier League giants will face each other three times in a week next month, with a top-flight match sandwiched between the two legs of their European encounter.

Arsenal and Liverpool have never faced each other in European competition before, but the stage is set for a more familiar semi-final line-up.

Should the Merseyside club make it through to the last four - with the ties being played on April 22/23 and 29/30 - they would be likely to face Chelsea at that stage for the third time in four years.

Were Arsenal and the Blues to make it through, it would be a repeat of the quarter-final clash from 2003/04 when Chelsea prevailed.

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry admitted Arsenal were not the team he had hoped to face.

With half the last eight being English teams there was a strong possibility of two meeting each other, and Arsenal and Liverpool were the first two names out of the hat.

Parry told Sky Sports News: "We'd hoped to avoid the English teams at this stage but statistically there were bound to be two coming together and unfortunately it's us.

"We play Arsenal in a league game in between so we'll be playing them three times in a week."

Parry does not expect the two games next month to differ from their league meetings.

"It'll be very similar," he added. "We know them extremely well and they know us.

"The three games are going to very, very tight. I don't think the Champions League is going to be any different, it's tough.

"We've successfully avoided a trip to Turkey (to face Fenerbahce) so that's a bonus."

On the prospect of facing Chelsea in the semi-finals once again, Parry added: "We had noticed.

"Interestingly, the prospect of two English teams in the final in Moscow remains very much alive and that would be interesting to say the least."

Arsenal managing director Keith Edelman told Sky Sports News. "They've obviously had fantastic performances in this competition and we'll play them three times in a week, so we'll get to know them pretty well.

"I think it should make compelling viewing for the fans and I think they'll be very exciting matches."

Arsenal reached the Champions League final in 2006, losing to Barcelona, and Edelman believes their last-16 victory over defending champions AC Milan should give them a lot of encouragement.

"The AC Milan match was very important," added Edelman.

"We played some sublime football and to go and beat them in the San Siro must give us a lot of hope and belief we can go all the way this time."

More news from SportingLife.com