After a major mess-up by UEFA resulted in the wrong balls being taken out of the wrong pots, which meant that teams who weren’t meant to face each other were drawn together, the Champions League round of 16 draw had to be made twice on December 13th — which, of course, led to a lot of controversy in the footballing world.
There were some mouth-watering ties in the initial draw, with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain set to clash in the competition for the third time in four years — but this this time with Cristiano Ronaldo facing his old foe Lionel Messi — the pick of the bunch. Unfortunately, that tie is no longer on the agenda. However, there are still some blockbuster encounters. So, without further ado, let’s take a look back at the draw.
PSG vs Real Madrid
While you could argue that a couple of teams benefitted from the re-draw, PSG certainly did not as they now face Real Madrid, who will also be annoyed having originally been paired with Benfica, in what looks set to be the draw of the round. The Parisians would have fancied their chances against Manchester United, especially with Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé taking on the Red Devils’ leaky defence. And while they’ll still be favoured in the bet exchange UK, Los Blancos are currently in fine form under Carlo Ancelotti and flying high back at the top of the La Liga table. A challenge for both sides, but one that Messi could rise to as he faces his old nemesis!
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Having originally been drawn to face Champions League knockout novices Red Bull Salzburg, who are the first Austrian side to ever progress from the group stages of the competition, Liverpool are another side who will be feeling slightly hard done by after the re-draw. They will now go toe-to-toe with Italian champions Inter Milan and while the San Siro giants were substantially weakened in the summer with the departures of manager Antonio Conte and talisman Romelu Lukaku, it will still be a tough 120 minutes for the Reds. With six wins from as many games in the ‘Group of Death’, Jürgen Klopp’s men will be up for the challenge though.
Atlético Madrid vs Manchester United
Manchester United fans wiped the sweat from their brows when the re-draw was confirmed by UEFA, only to be pitted against similarly difficult opposition in the form of Atlético Madrid. The Old Trafford faithful would have been praying for the likes of Sporting Lisbon, Benfica or Salzburg when given a second opportunity, instead they have to go head-to-head with Diego Simeone’s side, who, admittedly, are a slightly easier opponent than PSG. The versatile, rugged Spaniards will still prove a difficult task for Ralf Rangnick’s men, even if they haven’t looked like their La Liga-winning selves so far this season.
Chelsea vs Lille
In a crazy turn of events, but one that would have kept the Chelsea fans happy with the outcome of both draws, the defending champions were pulled out of the pot alongside Ligue 1 side Lille on both occasions. The Blues would have been on edge ahead of the second draw as they avoided Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Ajax the first time around, but luckily for Thomas Tuchel’s men, they were gifted the same draw and they’ll be delighted with their round of 16 opponent after finishing second behind Juventus in Group H. The two sides met last year, with Frank Lampard’s Chelsea winning home and away in the group stage clashes.
Full draw:
Salzburg vs Bayern Munich
Sporting Lisbon vs Manchester City
Benfica vs Ajax
Chelsea vs Lille
Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United
Villarreal vs Juventus
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid
