Real get PSG, Liverpool draw Inter and Utd to play Atletico

Paris Saint 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 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.

United were eventually drawn with PSG 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, against whom he has scored 26 times in all competitions when he was at Barcelona.

Real 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-time champions Bayern 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.

ARR