PSG get Real, Manchester Vs Atletico in revised Champions League last-16 draw

Nyon: Paris St Germain will face Real Madrid in a titanic clash in the last 16 of the Champions League while Manchester United take on Atletico Madrid after UEFA declared the original draw void due to a technical error in the process on Monday.

Earlier, United were mistakenly drawn with Villarreal, even though both teams had already faced each other in the group stage while the Premier League side’s ball was not added to the bowl as a potential opponent for Atletico Madrid.

United were eventually drawn with Paris St Germain while Atletico drew Bayern Munich before the draw was scrapped after the Spanish side complained and UEFA admitted the error.

PSG’s initial draw with United was a highly anticipated battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi — the competition’s two top goal scorers.

The pair have won 12 of the last 13 Ballon d’Or awards for player of the year — with Messi leading 7-5 after victory in 2021.

Instead, Messi will now face a familiar opponent in Real Madrid, against whom he has scored 26 times in all competitions when he was at Barcelona.

Real Madrid had also attempted to prise French forward Kylian Mbappe from PSG in the close season but ultimately failed after the Ligue 1 side rejected their bids.

United’s Ronaldo, meanwhile, will relish a tie against Atletico having scored 25 goals against them for Real and Juventus.

Holders Chelsea will face French champions Lille, just as they were drawn in the original draw, while six-times champions Bayern Munich will now face RB Salzburg — the first Austrian side to qualify for the knockout stages.

Last year’s runners-up Manchester City face Sporting Lisbon while Juventus, who topped their group above Chelsea, face Villarreal.

Liverpool take on Inter Milan with another trip to the San Siro after Juergen Klopp’s side beat AC Milan twice in the group stage.

UEFA also experienced technical issues while conducting the third-tier Conference League draw later.

LAST-16 DRAW

Bayern Munich v RB Salzburg

Manchester City v Sporting Lisbon

Ajax Amsterdam v Benfica

Lille v Chelsea

Manchester United v Atletico Madrid

Juventus v Villarreal

Liverpool v Inter Milan

Real Madrid v Paris St Germain

Seeded teams (named first) will play the second leg at home. The first legs are scheduled to take place on Feb. 15-16 and Feb. 22-23 while the second legs will be played on March 8-9 and March 15-16. — Reuters