After the awkwardness of having to redo the draw for the Champions League round of 16, UEFA finally succumbed to the request of the stakeholders due to the technical error that occured in the first draw.
The redrawn Champions League round of 16 draws means Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will not be facing each other, yet. (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The first draw did saw Manchester United against PSG, a contest which would have seen Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi go head to head once again for a place in the last eight.
However, after the draw was conducted for a second time, it will be PSG who now take on Real Madrid while Manchester United take on Madrid’s city rivals, Atletico.
Interesting battles
Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Atletico Madrid
Getting a Manchester United with Cristiano Ronaldo is bad news for Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid. The Madrid club have suffered a lot in the hands of the Portuguese and the signs are not promising of their progress in this competition.
After struggling to secure qualification in the final group game, falling into the same draw with Cristiano Ronaldo will not have been Atletico’s dream but now they will have to come up against a man, who has scored 25 goals and registered nine assists in 35 games against them.
Away from the concerns about the Portuguese, it promises to be an interesting game and a lot would have changed before the games will be played in February next year.
Ex Clasico Players vs. Real Madrid
Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos were once the biggest names in the one of the most heated derbies in world football and on the opposite side, both will now team up for a different team against one of the Clasico rivals.
Sergio Ramos, Angel Di María, Achraf Hakimi and Keylor Navas were all players who have played for the Spanish giants that will line-up against them when they take on PSG in the round of 16 of the Champions League by the turn of the year.
Considered one of Real Madrid legend, Sergio Ramos spent a trophy-laden 16 years with Madrid before leaving in awkward circumstance last summer and all eyes will be on him when this fixture take center stage.
Lionel Messi is another player with history against Madrid. Unarguably the player that helped Barcelona conquered their dominance in the La Liga and was also a thorn for them in the Clasicos.
The seven times Balon d’Or winner scores 26 goals and assisted 14 others in 45 games against Los Blancos. However, Carlo Ancelotti side will take courage from the fact that they kept out the Argentine in their last six meetings.
In the other draws, Chelsea will face Ligue 1 Champions, Lille. Both side met in the group stages of the 2019-20 season in the competition and it was the London club that came out on top, 2-1 in both legs, and will look more confident heading into the contest.
Ajax will play Benfica in a double-header. The Dutch champions toppled a group consisting another Portuguese team and will have to show their prowess against another, when they battle Jorge Jesus’ Benfica for a place in the last eight.
Liverpool, who finished top of their group with a one hundred percent record have been drawn against Inter Milan. Italian champions have previously been drawn against Ajax and surely would have preferred the former option, but reality is, the are up against Jürgen Klopp’s men.
Juventus, who finished above Chelsea on the final group matchday will play against last season’s Europa league winner, Villarreal, who beat Atalanta in Bergamo to book their place in the last 16.
Manchester City will lockhorns with Sporting CP while Bayern Munich will play against Red Bull Salzburg.
Author: Afolabi Kehinde Hassan
