Elsewhere, Man City have been paired with Villarreal and Bayern Munich will tackle Atletico Madrid in a heavyweight encounter
Manchester United will take on Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the 2021-22 Champions League, while Liverpool face Red Bull Salzburg and holders Chelsea must overcome Lille in order to keep the defence of their crown on track.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid have their sights set on claiming the scalp of Benfica and Manchester City tackle Villarreal.
Bayern Munich face a tough test against Atletico Madrid, Inter will try to contain free-scoring Ajax and Sporting meet Juventus.
Champions League last 16 draw in full
Benfica vs Real Madrid
Villarreal vs Manchester City
Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich
Red Bull Salzburg vs Liverpool
Inter vs Ajax
Sporting vs Juventus
Chelsea vs Lille
PSG vs Manchester United
The bigger picture
With Manchester United being drawn against Paris Saint-Germain, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will get the chance to rekindle their old rivalry.
Two all-time greats with 12 Ballons d’Or between them last faced each other in the Champions League group stage back in December 2020 when they were on the books of Juventus and Barcelona respectively.
Any meeting between the pair is sure to generate plenty of attention, with both as ambitious as ever to collect major silverware with their current employers.
Chelsea were only able to finish as runners-up in their group, but Thomas Tuchel’s side will feel that a clash with Ligue 1 title holders Lille presents them with a decent shot at reaching the quarter-finals.
Liverpool were also able to avoid any big-hitters in the last 16, as they prepare to face Austrian opponents, and will be looking to the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to provide inspiration on a continental stage.
Manchester City fell at the final hurdle last season, as Pep Guardiola’s long wait for another Champions League crown continues, but they will be heavy favourites to overcome Villarreal – the winners of the 2020-21 Europa League.
There promises to be plenty of goals in Inter’s meeting with Ajax, with both teams boasting attacking options aplenty, while Juventus will be eager to find a spark in Europe that has deserted them domestically in Serie A.
The other standout tie in the last 16 will see Bayern Munich, led by prolific Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, endeavour to break down the tight defensive unit that Diego Simeone always has in place at Atletico Madrid.
Dates for Champions League last 16 fixtures
The first legs of heavyweight European encounters will take place on February 15/16/22/23 in 2022.
Return dates will be held a couple of weeks later on March 8/9/15/16.
All of those still involved in the competition are looking to make their way to a final showdown at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg on May 28.
It is worth noting that the away goals rule is no longer used in elite European competition, meaning that any ties which finish all square on aggregate will go to extra-time and penalties if required.
Source: goal
