Technical issues were blamed for the mix-up and robbed fans of a reunion between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo after Paris Saint-Germain were drawn to face Manchester United.
However, United had earlier been selected to face previous Group F rivals Villarreal, but with the process supposedly designed to prevent teams who met in the pool stages facing each other, UEFA ordered a rerun of the ceremony.
Of the eight redrawn matches, Chelsea v Lille was the sole one to be repeated the second time around and it could be argued that the confirmed ties, which will be played over February and March, are more tantalising.
Round of 16 draw
Which tie are you most excited for?#UCLdraw | #UCL pic.twitter.com/QvZoT0yxqi
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 13, 2021
Messi Can’t Get Away from Madrid
Although the fans won’t get to see Messi v Ronaldo, the Argentine superstar will still face off against some old foes after PSG were drawn to play Real Madrid, who originally had a very favourable pairing against Benfica.
The pair will first meet in Paris and there will be another possible subplot, with Kylian Mbappe also set to feature. The World Cup winner is expected to swap the Parc des Princes for the Bernabeu when his contract expires in the summer and having netted a hat-trick at this stage against Barcelona in last season’s competition, another Spanish scalp would be handy.
However, Real, 20/1 to win a 14th European Cup, are currently one of the form teams in Europe, winning their last 10 in all competitions.
They also seemed to have the edge on Barcelona when Messi was there, with the maestro failing to win any of his last four El Clasicos across all competitions.
Ronaldo Record Will Worry Atletico
After that earlier mix-up, United were eventually drawn to play three-time finalists Atletico Madrid, with David de Gea returning to his former club.
The focus, though, is likely to surround another man heading back to the Spanish capital, Ronaldo. In 35 appearances against Los Colchoneros, CR7 has netted 25 times and provided nine assists.
After inconsistent spells during the opening half of the season, Atleti and United could find themselves prioritising European glory by February and are 33/1 and 20/1, respectively, to be crowned champions in Saint-Petersburg on May 28.
Fortune Favours Other PL sides
These may well be famous last words but barring United, the draw appears to have worked out well for the other English sides. Liverpool, 11/2 in the outright market, arguably have the most demanding task in taking on Italian champions Inter Milan but last year’s finalists look well set.
Chelsea, 7/1 to defend their crown, face Lille, while 5/2 favourites Manchester City will expect to have too much for Sporting Lisbon.
Elsewhere and 2019-20 champions Bayern Munich, 7/2 to win the tournament, cross the border to take on Red Bull Salzburg, while Juventus’ reward for outlasting Chelsea in Group H is a tie with last year’s Europa League heroes Villarreal.
However, the match-up of the round could be between two of the great names of European football. Benfica v Ajax is a tie that evokes nostalgia and both will fancy their chances of progressing after producing some thrilling displays during the pool stage.
*All odds correct at time of writing
