Juventus to face Villarreal in UEFA Champions League round of 16
Juventus will face Spanish outfit Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
The Bianconeri won Group H on Matchday 6 after Zenit held Chelsea to a 3-3 draw in Russia while Juve just about took care of business in Malmo.
Juventus had initially drawn Sporting CP before UEFA confirmed that the round of 16 draw had to be redone following a “technical problem”.
The second draw, which took place in Switzerland on Monday afternoon, then paired Juventus with Europa League winners Villarreal. Unai Emery’s side qualified for the knockout stages at Atalanta’s expense after they beat La Dea 3-2 in Bergamo on Matchday 6.
While the scenario could’ve been worse for Juventus, this tie will be anything but simple for this vulnerable Bianconeri outfit. In the last two seasons, we’ve seen unfancied sides Lyon and Porto shock Juve in the round of 16.
Inter Milan, the other Italian team to progress into the knockout stages, were drawn against Liverpool. The two other standout fixtures from Monday’s second draw are Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid.
When will the UEFA Champions League round of 16 ties be played?
The round of 16 first leg ties will be split across consecutive weeks on either 15/16 February or 22/23 February. The return legs will follow on 8/9 March or 15/16 March. The unseeded clubs, those drawn first out of the pot, will play the first leg on home soil.
That means Juventus will visit Spain for the first leg (22 February) before hosting Villarreal for the second leg three weeks later (16 March).
This is the first season in which the away goals rule has been scrapped, so extra-time is guaranteed if an aggregate score-line is level at the end of the second leg.
Here is the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw in full:
FC Salzburg vs Bayern Munich
Sporting CP 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