The second round of the UEFA Champions League will feature some monumental clashes between some of Europe's biggest clubs
The draw for the next round of European football's most elite competition is finally complete and we have some very enticing fixtures to look forward to in 2022. However, a usually straight forward affair became the talk of social media when a series of technical errors brought the event into disrepute. The draw was fumbled but ultimately completed the first time around, before being totally scrapped and re-done following backlash from fans on Twitter and official complaints made by various clubs.
The Champions League draw fiasco
Epitomising the madness, Manchester United managed to get drawn against three different opponents throughout the fiasco. It all started when Ralf Rangnick's side were mistakenly drawn against Villarreal. Eagle eyed observers would have noted that United had just played the Spanish side twice in their group, meaning they couldn't face them in the last 16. The flawed exercise continued with several more "technical problems" as UEFA described them, with The Red Devils now drawing Paris Saint-Germain, leaving Twitter abuzz with excitement for a Ronaldo vs Messi clash. This wasn't to be as the governing body decided to scrap the whole thing and do it all over again, with United finally drawing Atletico Madrid, one of the clubs who complained about the first draw.
Controversial and pathetic as the event was, it has offered up some fascinating ties in the second round and those pairings have already begun to have an effect on betting odds for the outright winners of the competition. Defending champions Chelsea, and Premier League rivals Manchester City and Liverpool are joined in the second round by some of Europe's biggest powerhouses - Bayern Munich, PSG and Real Madrid. The teams they have been drawn against will have some say in how far they can go in the competition and this has led to some fluidity in the outright odds from some of the world's finest sports betting websites.
Outright winner odds fluctuate
One of the biggest changes witnessed has been the fall of PSG in the confidence of bookmakers. The Ligue 1 leaders have gone from 11/4 favourites during the group stage down to 8/1 and are now fifth in the pecking order. Manchester City have replaced them as the most likely to win the tournament with Bayern Munich, Liverpool and defending champions Chelsea following close behind. This comes after PSG drew Real Madrid in the last 16, a tie which evidently the bookies and many fans believe will be very tough for Messi, Mbappe and co.
Chelsea remain fourth favourites to lift the trophy but confidence in them is growing as their odds have shortened from 9/1 to 7/1, in the wake of their second round draw against Lille. Despite shocking the world by beating PSG to the Ligue 1 title last season, LOSC are struggling in mid table and on paper should cause Thomas Tuchel's side little to no problems. In an interesting quirk, Chelsea actually drew Lille during both the flawed draw and the re-draw. That fixture seems to have been destined to be made.
Bayern Munich will face Red Bull Salzburg in what should also be a comfortable tie for the Germans. Manchester City have booked a relatively easy outing against Sporting Lisbon. Liverpool will perhaps be the most worried of the frontrunners as they take on an Inter Milan side which is finally finding its groove and has made its way to the top of Serie A after looking dead and buried earlier in the season.
If PSG can navigate their colossal clash with Real Madrid and Jurgen Klopp's side can overcome a deceptively good and improving Inter, expect to see both of their odds shorten. In terms of outsiders, Benfica vs Ajax looks to be the battle of the dark horses. Whoever makes it through to the quarter finals from that tie will be good value for an outright win with only three ties left to complete. Anything can happen in knockout football and Ajax in particular have a pedigree for overachieving in this competition in the not so distant past and look unstoppable this season.
So who is playing who?
While many of the usual suspects are still in, there are some big time omissions. Icons of the Champions League Barcelona have failed to qualify for the second round and will drop into the Europa League, alongside the likes of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, with UEFA's second tier tournament looking stacked and potentially more exciting than the first in terms of big name matchups.
These odds are fluid and will change game by game as things evolve but for now Manchester City are your favourites to win the UEFA Champions League 2021/22, followed by Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Chelsea in that order.
Here's the full last 16 draw:
Red Bull Salzburg vs Bayern Munich
Sporting Lisbon vs Manchester City
Benfica vs Ajax
Chelsea vs Lille
Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United
Villarreal vs Juventus
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid
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