After the role of the first draw, UEFA returned to carry out the ceremony a couple of hours later, and fortune determined one of the best crosses that could be expected: Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint Germain, who in the first instance was leaving to face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United, he will finally face Real Madrid, in a duel that will be experienced as a classic.
Although there will be no Messi-CR7 duel in the round of 16, UEFA cannot complain that the initial role gave him the chance to make a great match with PSG’s cross against Real Madrid, with several sources of morbidity in a single duel . On the one hand, there will be the return of Lionel Messi to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, but no longer with the Barcelona shirt but with that of the Parisian club. But it will also mark the return of Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid idol and now at PSG, after a not very clear exit. And as if that were not enough, Kylian Mbappé will also be under the flashes, the striker with whom the Spanish club has been flirting since last season.
The one who will also return to Madrid, but to Atlético’s Wanda Metropolitana stadium, will be Cristiano Ronaldo, since fortune placed Manchester United in the path of the team led by Diego Simeone. In principle, the colchoneros had been given Bayern Munich, but coincidentally in that draw the United ball had not been included by mistake among their possible rivals, which is why UEFA was forced to repeat the ceremony.
Another of the high-voltage duels of the round of 16 will be the protagonists of Liverpool and Inter. More fortunate was Juventus, who will have one of the most accessible rivals in this instance, Villarreal. Meanwhile, the current champion Chelsea also had a favorable draw since despite having been second in his area, fortune paired him with Lille, the most appealing group winner for the rest of the seconds.
Benfica, meanwhile, also benefited from the change, since in the first instance it had been Real Madrid, but after the second draw they were faced with Ajax. For its part, Manchester City, one of the candidates for the title, had a benevolent cross since they will face Sporting Lisbon, while Bayern, who had Atlético de Madrid on the way, will finally collide with Salzburg, a duel much more accessible.
The original draw for the Champions League had to be canceled due to technical problems, which led to teams that could face each other from certain cups. The most obvious mistake occurred when the Atlético de Madrid ball came out and the hosts explained that it could not be Liverpool’s rival, having been a rival in the group stage, and neither Manchester United, a team that should be among the possible adversaries. Without Manchester, fortune determined that the rival would be Bayern, which aroused the anger of the Spanish.
All crosses
Paris Saint Germain – Real Madrid
Inter – Liverpool
Sporting Lisbon – Manchester City
Salzburg – Bayern Munich
Atlético Madrid – Manchester United
Chelsea – Lille
Villarreal – Juventus
Benfica – Ajax
The first leg matches of the Champions League round of 16 will be played on February 15, 16, 22 and 23, 2022, while the rematches will be on March 9, 10, 15 and 16.
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