Champions League draw 2.0: UEFA blunder hands Real a tough draw with PSG

After a massive scandal which saw UEFA cancelling the Champions League draw due to three errors during the process, the European football governing body arranged another draw, this time for 17h, and this time the results are different, but for somebody still the same.

A SCANDAL: The Champions League last 16 to be re-drawn!

After the first draw, Real Madrid (who has been drawn first) was paired with Benfica, after which a first error in the process occurred. And now, the UEFA blunder gave the Royal club the toughest draw - a pairing with one of the favorites for the title - Paris Saint Germain, led by Lionel Messi! Real Madrid thought that a renewal of the draw was 'scandal'. since both the balls of the rivals Benfica and Real Madrid were paired correctly. UEFA, however, said that the draw was not carried out correctly from the beginning and that it must be repeated in its entirety. We can only imagine how will Real react now....

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Knockout round

Tuesday, 15 February 2022

23.00: (2.50) Inter (3.40) Ajax (3.00)

23.00: (7.00) Salzburg (4.60) Bayern (1.50)

23.00: (3.15) Benfica (3.40) Ajax (2.40)

23.00: (1.40) Chelsea (4.90) Lille (9.00)

23.00: (3.00) Villareal (3.20) Juventus (2.60)

23.00: (3.15) Inter (3.40) Liverpool (2.40)

23.00: (2.10) PSG (3.50) Real Madrid (3.80)

***odds are subject to change

But not only Real were damaged by the outcome of the renewed draw: Inter Milan is now pared with in-form Liverpool, which is a much tougher draw then against Ajax, while Atletico Madrid swamped Bayern Munich with Manchester United. Salzburg and Lille are probably the unluckiest teams right now, as they both got tough opponents in both draws: Lille is matches (again) Chelsea, while Salzburg got Bayern Munich, which is as tough as Liverpool in the canceled draw.

There were 16 teams in contention and the clubs which finished top in their group were seeded, and couldn't be drawn against each other. Also, clubs from the same country cannot play against each other, while in the Last 16 rounds, clubs cannot face opponents they met during the group stage. Ties will take place over two legs, with seeded teams at home in the second legs. The first legs are scheduled for 15-16 and 22-23 February, with the second legs on 8-9 and 15-16 March. The draw for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be on Friday 18 March.

Back to the derby of the Round 16 between Real and PSG. Two great teams will face each other and three players will be in focus for this tie: Sergio Ramos, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. The Spanish international moved away from Real this June, after 16 years, 671 appearances, 22 trophies and 40 goals for the Royal club and his return to Santiago Bernabeu will be emotional. Lionel Messi has been a great rival to the club from Real, as he played his entire career for Barcelona, before switching to PSG in June. The Argentinian played 45 times against Real in all competition, winning 19 games, while he drew 11 and lost 15 of them. During those 45 encounters with Real, Messi scored 26 goals and recorded 14 assists. And off course, the special mention goes to Kylian Mbappe, who is probably the future Real Madrid player. The PSG forward has been in contact with the Royal club since June, but the Parisians refused to sell him, and are now in serious risk to lose a top French prospect for free in 2022.