(Reuters) -Manchester United will face Paris St Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League after the draw was held on Monday, giving followers an opportunity to see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo lock horns as soon as once more in Europe’s elite competitors.
Messi, who joined PSG prior to this season, has struggled to get going in Ligue 1 however has 5 objectives in the Champions League whereas Ronaldo — the competitors’s all-time high scorer with 140 objectives — has six in 5 appearances this season.
Between them, the pair have received 12 of the last 13 Ballon d’Or awards for participant of the yr — with Messi main 7-5 after this yr’s victory.
After quite a few conferences in Spain’s ‘El Clasico’, they last performed one another in 2020 when Messi was with (*16*) and Ronaldo at Juventus, with the Portugal captain scoring twice on the Camp Nou because the Italian facet received 3-0 in the group stage.
The last time United confronted PSG in the last 16, the Premier League facet fought again from a primary leg deficit to advance whereas they shared the spoils in the group stage last season with one victory apiece.
While Ralf Rangnick prepares to set his United facet up in opposition to the triumvirate of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, all eyes can even be on PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino who has been linked with the Old Trafford job.
Six-times champions Bayern Munich have been additionally handed a tough tie in the type of Atletico Madrid. The Spanish facet had risked receiving a heavyweight tie after ending second in their group behind Liverpool.
Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool tackle RB Salzburg who turned the primary Austrian facet to qualify for the knockout levels.
“Tactically they’re actually good, technically they’re actually good. I believe we can’t deny the ‘favourites’ function, however we all know it’s a powerful place to go,” Klopp informed the Liverpool web site.
Holders Chelsea will face French champions Lille whereas document 13-times winners Real Madrid tackle Portuguese facet Benfica.
Manchester City have been handed a tie with Villarreal after a mistake in the draw which noticed the Spanish facet initially drawn with their Group F opponents United. Teams who performed in the identical group can’t play one another in the last 16.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16 DRAW
Ajax Amsterdam v Inter Milan
Bayern Munich v Atletico Madrid
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon
Liverpool v RB Salzburg
Lille v Chelsea
Manchester City v Villarreal
Manchester United v Paris St Germain
Real Madrid v Benfica
First group named will play the second leg at dwelling. The first legs are scheduled to happen on Feb. 15-16 and Feb. 22-23 whereas the second legs shall be performed on March 8-9 and March 15-16.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;Editing by Christian Radnedge)
