UEFA Champions League draw: Messi and Ronaldo collide as Man Utd face PSG in last 16

UEFA Champions League draw: Messi and Ronaldo collide as Man Utd face PSG in last 16


Manchester United have been drawn against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League.


Liverpool take on Salzburg, into the Champions League knockouts for the first time, Chelsea face Ligue 1 champions Lille, while Manchester City will play reigning Europa League winners Villarreal.


Other standout ties include Atletico Madrid against Bayern Munich, while Serie A winners Inter Milan will play Ajax, who enjoyed a perfect group-stage campaign.


Sky Sports has asked UEFA to clarify what happened with the Atletico Madrid draw and why Manchester United were not put into the pot as an option for them to be drawn against.


United were also originally drawn out of the hat incorrectly to face Villarreal. The pair met in the group stages so should have been kept apart.


Providing the draw stands, the pick of the round sees Mauricio Pochettino head to Old Trafford for the return leg in March. The PSG boss was identified as United's No 1 managerial target this summer after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked and before Ralf Rangnick took charge on an interim basis.


The meeting also pits Cristiano Ronaldo against Lionel Messi at the last-16 stage, their first showdown since Barcelona played Juventus in the group stages last year.


Ronaldo was pivotal to United topping Group F, scoring six times including two late winners, while PSG finished runners-up behind City in Group A.


United last played PSG in the 2020-21 group stages, winning 2-1 in Paris before losing 3-1 at Old Trafford.


The two sides also met in the round of 16 back in 2019, which was arguably the highlight of Solskjaer's spell as an injury-time Marcus Rashford penalty helped United advance 3-3 on aggregate.


Meanwhile, Liverpool's reward for becoming the first English side to win all six Champions League group games is a tie with Austrian outfit Salzburg, who finished second behind Lille in Group G.


Liverpool played Salzburg in the 2019-20 group stages, winning a 4-3 thriller at Anfield before 1 2-0 victory in Austria.


Defending champions Chelsea also faced their last-16 opponents in the groups two years ago, winning both matches against Lille 2-1.


A mistake initially saw United drawn to play Villarreal, but after that was corrected given both teams played one another in the groups, it was City's name picked to face Villarreal.


City, last season's losing finalists, have only played Villarreal twice ein the 2011-12 group stages, which they won 2-1 at home and 3-0 away.


Champions League last-16 draw


Benfica vs Real Madrid


Villarreal vs Manchester City


Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich


Salzburg vs Liverpool


Inter Milan vs Ajax


Sporting Lisbon vs Juventus


Chelsea vs Lille


Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester United


When are the last-16 ties?


The last-16 ties will be split across different weeks, with the first legs taking place on February 15-16 and February 22-23.


The second legs are then on March 8-9 and March 15-16.