Following what’s been dubbed as a “computer error,” the UEFA Champions League had to repeat and redo the entire Round 16 draw, making the first one void.
According to tournament regulations, clubs belonging to the same country or group are not allowed to play against each other. The earlier draw revealed by the league erroneously paired certain teams from the same group. This was noticed right away, and as a result, the entire draw was redone.
Just 3 hours later, the UEFA Champions League revealed the new draw, much to the dismay of Real Madrid players. Earlier, the team had been paired against the Portuguese club Benfica. Now, they must deal with facing the superstars Neymar, Mbappe and Messi in a match against PSG – definitely a mammoth task for Los Blancos.
Just one of the 8 original pairings remained the same, namely Chelsea vs Lille. Atlético now face Manchester United while Salzburg will play against Bayern Munich, who were earlier paired with Atlético. Liverpool previously faced Salzburg but will be playing with Inter Milan while Manchester City have been drawn to face Sporting CP.
The first leg of Round 16 will take place in February, followed by the second one in March. The quarter final will take place on the 18th of March, determining the next round of the tournament.
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