The last 16 draw for the UEFAChampions League was concluded earlier today and some of the European heavyweights like Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid have been handed tough outings after a re-draw.
UEFA had initially completed a draw which was deemed unfair and it was then declared null and void.
There were three notable mistakes from the initial Champions League draw where Manchester United had their ball against the pot which contained Villarreal. The two teams had already faced each other in the group stages and therefore they could not have faced off in the knockout rounds.
A similar situation involving Liverpool and Atletico Madrid was also spotted.
After widespread protests on social media from fans across the globe and after the participating clubs started demanding more clarity and explanation for the draw, UEFA decided to start the process all over again.
The initial draw threw up some interesting fixtures like Manchester United against Paris Saint –Germain, which would have seen Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi face each other.
Meanwhile, the likes of Real Madrid were handed easy outings against the likes of Benfica. However, things changed drastically after the second draw and the Spanish giants will now take on Paris Saint-Germain.
Manchester United will have to face Atletico Madrid instead of the French side and Liverpool have had their opponents changed from RB Salzburg to Inter Milan.
Defending champions Chelsea were set to take on Lille after the initial draw and the Blues managed to draw the same team after the re-draw as well.
Elsewhere, German champions Bayern Munich benefited from the re-draw and their opponents were changed from Atletico Madrid to RB Salzburg.
Italian giants Juventus were handed an easy outing against Sporting Club de Portugal, but they will now take on Spanish outfit Villarreal instead.
UEFA Champions League last-16 draw
RB Salzburg vs Bayern Munich
Sporting CP vs Manchester City
Benfica vs Ajax
Chelsea vs Lille
Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United
Villarreal vs Juventus
Inter vs Liverpool
PSG vs Real Madrid
The first legs take place on 15/16/22/23 February, with the second legs three weeks later on 8/9/15/16 March.
