The UEFA Champions League draw was scheduled for Monday and we got some huge matchups to look forward to. In standard UEFA fashion, the draw was not without controversy. However, more on that in a minute. There was potential for some big games, and it really did not disappoint. Lionel Messi and his PSG will travel to the Spanish capital to face 13-time winners Real Madrid, while Inter will face off against Mohamed Salah and Liverpool. Another notable match is Manchester United led by Cristiano Ronaldo going to face Atletico Madrid, the current champion of La Liga. Here are two major takeaways from this controversial Champions League knock-outs draw.
Champions League knock-outs draw takeaways
UEFA is still being UEFA
In a move that really did not surprise anyone, there was a major controversy in this monumental draw. Originally, the draw was scheduled for 11 AM GMT, and it did start then. The teams were drawn accordingly and, as with every draw, there were some winners and losers. Real Madrid, the most decorated team in Champions League history, got a seemingly easy draw with Portuguese team Benfica. Additionally, Juventus got lucky with Sporting, as did Liverpool with Red Bull Salzburg.
However, due to a technical error by UEFA which was spotted by representatives of Atletico Madrid, the draw was declared void. Apparently, as reported by GOAL.com, Manchester United was placed in the draw against Villareal, a team they played against in the group stage. According to Champions League rules, teams from the same group cannot be against each other in the knock-outs. To make it even worse, Manchester United then was not placed in the draw against Atletico Madrid, to which the representatives of the Spanish club protested. In standard UEFA fashion, they controversially moved to redo the whole Champions League draw.
This started an avalanche of criticism, mostly coming from Real Madrid. The pair of mistakes were done after Los Blancos was already drawn against Portuguese outfit Benfica. However, UEFA turned a blind eye to this criticism and carried on with the full draw. In the repeat of the draw, Real Madrid got PSG, a matchup of two Champions League favorites. With a battle for the title that PSG simply does not have, due to the quality of Ligue 1, this is much less favorable for Real Madrid, as they will have the toughest possible opponent in the Round of 16.
Other teams also have some major things to complain about. Liverpool had a somewhat easy matchup against Red Bull Salzburg, but in the re-draw, they got Italian champions Inter Milan. This will be a tough encounter for the Reds given how impressive Inter have been this term. They looked amazing in the first match against Real Madrid in the groups and got unlucky with a lapse of concentration nearing the end of the game. As one of the Champions League favorites, Liverpool will really need to deliver against the Italians to go through to the quarter-finals.
Most favorites should pass without problems
Before Champions League began, there were three teams that were most considered as favorites to win. Chelsea was always regarded as a favorite due to the simple fact they are defending their title and they strengthened their squad in the summer with Romelu Lukaku. Bayern Munich is always tournament favorites and a six-win performance in the groups, with two convincing wins over Barcelona, only strengthened their case. As for the third, PSG was up there due to the strength of their squad, but have largely disappointed in the group stage. Still, they are considered up there with the best of the best in Europe.
As the Champions League group stage finished up, Liverpool and Real Madrid also made cases to join the top class of favorites, due to their good form and solid performances. Now, four out of these five teams have a chance to pass through and two have incredibly easy match-ups for Champions League standards. Bayern Munich will be traveling around 150 kilometers to face their rivals, Red Bull Salzburg. With respect to the Austrian team, the German giants should have no problems going through to the quarters, unless some sort of miracle happens.
Secondly, Chelsea got incredibly lucky. As they finished second in their group, they could have faced names like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid. However, they got French champions Lille. With all respect to Lille, of course, Chelsea should dispose of this matchup very easily. Lille has generally fallen off their championship-winning form and while they did win their group, it was one of the easiest groups in this edition of the Champions League.
While Inter is a tougher match-up, considering the form of Liverpool, they still got an easier matchup than they could have had. Liverpool could have drawn the likes of PSG. Inter is a good opponent, but while Salah is playing in this manner, the Reds should not have any issues. That leaves us with PSG and Real Madrid, meaning that one of the favorites is going home. PSG have the star-studded team, but Real Madrid has won 10 straight, and are disposing of their opponents fairly easily this season. It is a long way until February and the form can change, but regardless of that, we can expect an incredible game both in Paris and in Madrid. The Champions League knockout stages will surely be a thrill.
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