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Bengaluru, December 13: We will have to wait for some more time for the the dream Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo face off as the initial Champions League draw featuring PSG vs Manchester United and other matches will have to be done again due to a technical error.
PSG and United were set to face each other in the knockout stage, but that headline fixture and the other ties will have to be redrawn after what UEFA labelled as a "technical problem with the software of an external service provider that instructs the officials as to which teams are eligible to play each other.
Following a technical problem with the software of an external service provider that instructs the officials as to which teams are eligible to play each other, a material error occurred in the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 13, 2021
"Following a technical problem with the software of an external service provider that instructs the officials as to which teams are eligible to play each other, a material error occurred in the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16," the UEFA tweeted.
United were initially drawn to face Villarreal, but the sides were unable to play each other as they had previously featured in the same group. After complaints from affected clubs, including Atletico Madrid, UEFA later announced the draw would take place again at 1500 CET (7.30PM IST).
"As a result of this, the draw has been declared void and will be entirely redone at 15:00 CET, the UEFA tweet added.
As a result of this, the draw has been declared void and will be entirely redone at 15:00 CET.
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 13, 2021
Earlier, there was sense of de ja vu all over with PSG drawn against United with expectation bulding around the match-up between the two greats.
The last time Ronaldo and Messi faced each other in the Champions League was in the group stage last season with the Portugal international scoring twice as Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0.
Ronaldo is seeking to win his sixth UEFA Champions League trophy and his second at Old Trafford while Messi has won the competition four times, all with the Catalan giants.
✨ This season's official match ball for the #UCL knockout rounds and final! pic.twitter.com/QVGCKOH6Cw
— UEFA (@UEFA) December 13, 2021
If Messi against Ronaldo was not enough to look forward to, the tie also sees Mauricio Pochettino face the side that he has long been touted as a possible manager of.
Ex-Spurs boss Pochettino remains among the favourites to replace interim boss Ralf Rangnick, who is in charge until at least the end of the season.
The tricky draw for the Red Devils contrasts with the ties for the three other Premier League clubs, all of whom will be feeling somewhat fortunate.
Defenfing champions Chelsea, who managed to finish only second in their group, avoided a marquee name on paper. They were drawn against French club Lille, while Manchester City, who finished runners-up last season, are set to take on Spanish club Villarreal.
The fourth Premier League club and former champions -- Liverpool -- will battle it out with RB Salzburg.
The first legs of the Round-of-16 are scheduled to be played on February 15, 16, 22 and 23, with the return legs on March 8, 9, 15 and 16.
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 May 28 at Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Rule changes
From this season, the so-called away goals rule has been removed, so ties level after 180 minutes will go to extra time irrespective of the number of goals each team has scored at home and away.
If the teams still cannot be separated after the additional 30 minutes, the tie goes to a penalty shoot-out.
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.
(With inputs from Agencies)
