The UEFA Champions League has drawn some significant attention on Monday (December 13) as the draws for the Round of 16 were made twice. Amid technical error the draws had to take place again. However, the new set of draws hasn’t disappointed as spicy clashes are lined up in the form of Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain while Cristiano Ronaldo will return to Madrid to face Atletico.
Real and PSG have previously squared off one another in the past at this stage as the 13-time champions ended up edging their opponent. Messi will be poised to return to Madrid and so will be his teammate and former Real captain Sergio Ramos.
Earlier in the day, Manchester United (seeded) were in the same pot of Villareal (United’s group opponent) but according to the draw procedure the two teams can’t be in the same pot. This was not the only error, UEFA technical committee head Giorgio Marchetti who was carrying the draw also made an error by stating, Manchester United can’t be drawn against Atletico Madrid. The statement didn’t stand relevant as the two teams ended up drawing each other.
Chelsea on the other hand have drawn Lille of France as they had in the earlier draw, while fellow English side Liverpool will again travel to Milan to face Inter. Bayern will consider themselves fortunate as they are now drawn against Salzburg having earlier drawn Atletico Madrid. Former European champions Ajax and Benfica will also go head-to-head in the R16.
The first leg of the ties will be played on February 15, 16, 22 and 23 while the return legs will take place on March 8, 9, 15 and 16. This year there will be no away goals rule. The ties will go into extra time or if needed penalty shootout to determine the winner.
The full draws are as follows -
Benfica vs Ajax
Villareal vs Juventus
Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United
Salzburg vs Bayern Munich
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Sporting Lisbon vs Manchester City
Chelsea vs Lille
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid
