The Champions League Round of 16 is Set

Despite some unwanted drama, the Round of 16 draw is complete and the Champions League tournament is to carry on in February. Not long after the draw was complete, a redo had to take place. Sources say UEFA had to redo the draw because of a technical error. Unfortunately, as a result of redoing the draw, some very interesting matches are no longer going to happen. On a positive note, the results of the second draw did amass some respective results.

Not surprisingly, this unfortunate series of events has caused a backlash. Real Madrid is unhappy and the club has described UEFA’s handling of the situation as shameful. In addition, Manchester City supporters are not too pleased with UEFA. Furthermore, reactions on social media have been far from positive. Quite frankly, it’s not the first time UEFA has caused major controversy that has been met with intense backlash.

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The 𝑼𝑷𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑬𝑫 Champions League Round of 16 draw 🏆 pic.twitter.com/s1LLhEOZdz

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 13, 2021

Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid

PSG and Real Madrid know each other well. The two clubs met in the Round of 16 of the 2018 Champions League, where Les Parisiens would be eliminated in a humiliating fashion and Los Blancos would go on to win their third straight title. Therefore, this is a rematch that’s over three years in the making. In other words, a rematch that the world wants to see.

PSG has been chasing the title since 2019. Real Madrid is looking to return to the final and secure their 14th title. In the previous tournament, both clubs reached the final four. For Real Madrid, reaching the final four was considered an achievement considering they were eliminated in the Round of 16 in the previous two tournaments. In PSG’s case, their elimination was a hard pill to swallow as they eliminated both Barcelona and Bayern Munich before making it to the final four. Furthermore, Les Parisiens were the runners-up in the 2019-20 tournament and were hoping to avenge their failure.

Both clubs are loaded with talent. Los Blancos have been playing very well as of late while Les Parisiens have struggled. It’s safe to say that PSG is under more pressure due to the fact that despite having more talent, they’re not able to put up convincing results. While the results of the two matches can go either way, Real Madrid has to be favored from a realistic standpoint.

Manchester United vs Atlético Madrid

Atlético Madrid nearly finished at the bottom of their group and a victory in their final group game is what saved them along. On the other hand, Manchester United topped their group convincingly.

At the moment, Man United is undergoing major changes. They recently appointed a new manager and the club is slowly beginning to turn things around in Premier League play. The Red Devils are on a three-game winning streak in Premier League play. Man United is making progress and by the time they square off with Atlético, they’ll be tested.

Unfortunately, Atlético’s luck in La Liga has not been very well as of late. Atlético is 13 points behind Real Madrid who’s in first place in the La Liga standings. It’s bad enough that Atlético’s group stage campaign didn’t go very well despite finishing second in the group. They’re going to need to get it together to get back on track to prepare for their encounter with Man United.

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Inter Milan vs Liverpool

Liverpool finished a perfect 6-0 in their group stage campaign. The Reds are one of the four English clubs to be in the Champions League’s knockout stage. Although Manchester City and Chelsea look to be favored over them, Liverpool is perfectly capable of overcoming the odds. A few years ago, Liverpool knocked Man City out of the tournament. Liverpool has a history of beating insurmountable odds in the Champions League, which gives them an advantage.

Inter Milan is doing very well in Serie A. They’ve been battling their in-town rivals AC Milan for the top spot of Serie A. Inter Milan’s two losses in the Champions League group stage were to Real Madrid who won the group. No doubt, Inter Milan has talent and can certainly challenge Liverpool. However, realistically, Liverpool is the overwhelming favorite.

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