Following its rescheduling due to "serious mistakes," the UEFA Champions League draw has resulted in exciting matchups, the standout being the anticipated clash between Spanish giants Real Madrid and French club Paris Saint-Germain. The Round of 16 draw took place on Monday in Nyon, Switzerland, before it was announced that a redraw was necessary due to technical errors in the process.
The initial draw had set up a matchup between English team Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, promising a strong confrontation between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. However, in an unprecedented event, the federation mistakenly placed team names into the pot, overlooking Manchester United when drawing a possible opponent against Spanish club Atletico Madrid, forcing officials to reschedule the draw.
The new draw, conducted hours after the initial "incorrect" one, was said to be even more "ferocious." The most significant tie features Real Madrid against Paris Saint-Germain, making the "royal" club the biggest loser of the redraw, as their initial matchup was against Portuguese Benfica.
Liverpool also faced challenges from the redraw, landing a difficult matchup against Italian Inter Milan, while Manchester United is set to face Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, English club Manchester City will go up against Portuguese Sporting Lisbon, and Italian Juventus faces a tough clash with resilient Spanish club Villarreal.
Here are the complete fixtures for the Round of 16:
- Benfica (Portugal) – Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Villarreal (Spain) – Juventus (Italy)
- Atletico Madrid (Spain) – Manchester United (England)
- Salzburg (Austria) – Bayern Munich (Germany)
- Inter Milan (Italy) – Liverpool (England)
- Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) – Manchester City (England)
- Real Madrid (Spain) – Paris Saint-Germain (France)
- Chelsea (England) – Lille (France)
