UCL draw chaos: Confusion, rumours of a re-draw as Man United, Ronaldo drawn against Messis PSG – ESPN

The Champions League round-of-16 draw descended into farce on Monday after it was declared void due to an error after Manchester United were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain.

UEFA confirmed that a “clerical error” occurred where Manchester United were mistakenly omitted as potential opponents for Atletico Madrid.

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During Monday’s initial draw, United were eventually paired with PSG, having earlier been placed as opponents for Villarreal, who they could not meet having been in the same group as Unai Emery’s side.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were set for another showdown clash in the Champions League but the draw will be redone at 2 p.m. GMT/ 9 a.m. CET.

Ronaldo and Messi faced each other in the Champions League group stage last season, with the Portugal international scoring twice as Juventus secured a 3-0 win at Barcelona.

United and PSG faced each other at the same stage of the 2018-19 campaign, and the Premier League club progressed to the quarterfinals after a stunning result at the Parc de Princes.

The French giants earned a 2-0 win at Old Trafford in the first leg, but United shocked PSG with a Romelu Lukaku double and a last-gasp Marcus Rashford penalty in Paris to go through.

PSG avenged their elimination last season when they secured a 3-1 win at Old Trafford as United were knocked out of the competition during the group stages.

Ronaldo is seeking to win his sixth Champions League trophy and his second at United, while Messi has won the competition four times.

Messi also picked up a record seventh Ballon d’Or trophy last month, while Ronaldo has won the award five times during his career.

Group winners will be away in the first leg, with ties to be played on Feb. 15-16 and Feb. 22-23. Return legs will be played on March 8-9 and March 15-16.

The away goals rule has also been abolished in European tournament knockout ties this season.

The rule, which had been in place since 1965, was used to determine a winner when teams were level on aggregate after a two-legged match. The team that had scored more goals as the away side were awarded the victory. But from now, this will be replaced by extra time and penalties.

UEFA will draw the quarterfinal and semifinal ties on the same day for this season, scheduled for March 18.

The final will take place on Saturday, May 28, at Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

INITIAL ROUND-OF-16 DRAW:

Benfica vs. Real Madrid

Villarreal vs. Manchester City

Atletico Madrid vs. Bayern Munich

FC Salzburg vs. Liverpool

Inter Milan vs. Ajax

Sporting CP vs. Juventus

Chelsea vs. Lille

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester United