Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will go head to head after Paris Saint-Germain drew Manchester United in 2021/22 Champions League round of 16 ties.
The draw was made at UEFA headquarters in Nyon on Monday. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich will face Atletico Madrid in a heavyweight European counter, Italian side Inter will try to overcome Dutch side Ajax and Sporting meet Juventus.
Manchester City have been paired with Villarreal FC and Liverpool will tackle Red Bull Salzburg, While defending champions Chelsea have to overcome the challenge of Lille.
Real Madrid will be confident going in as they face Benfica and Manchester City will tackle the Spanish side, Villarreal.
The first legs will take place on February 15/16 and 22/23, with the returns scheduled for March 8/9 and 15/16. The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be held on March 18.
Notably, this time, the away goals rule has been abolished. If the tie is level after 180 minutes, it will go to extra time. If the teams still can't be separated after an additional 30 minutes, the tie will be decided through a penalty shoot-out.
Full Champions League last 16 draw: Benfica vs Real Madrid, Villarreal vs Manchester City, Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich, Red Bull Salzburg vs Liverpool, Inter vs Ajax, Sporting vs Juventus, Chelsea vs Lille, and PSG vs Manchester United.
( With inputs from ANI )
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