PSG Get Real, Man Unt vs. Atletico in Revised Champions League Last-16 Draw

UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti draws out the card of Paris St Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 Round of 16 Draw at the UEFA headquarters, Nyon, Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2021. (Reuters)
UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti draws out the card of Paris St Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 Round of 16 Draw at the UEFA headquarters, Nyon, Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2021. (Reuters)
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PSG Get Real, Man Unt vs. Atletico in Revised Champions League Last-16 Draw

UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti draws out the card of Paris St Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 Round of 16 Draw at the UEFA headquarters, Nyon, Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2021. (Reuters)
UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti draws out the card of Paris St Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 Round of 16 Draw at the UEFA headquarters, Nyon, Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2021. (Reuters)

Paris St Germain will face Real Madrid in a titanic clash in the last 16 of the Champions League while Manchester United take on Atletico Madrid after UEFA declared the original draw void due to a technical error in the process on Monday.

Earlier, United were mistakenly drawn with Villarreal, even though both teams had already faced each other in the group stage while the Premier League side's ball was not added to the bowl as a potential opponent for Atletico Madrid.

United were eventually drawn with PSG, Real drew Benfica, while Atletico drew Bayern Munich before the draw was scrapped after the Spanish side complained and UEFA admitted the error caused by a "technical problem with the software".

"It was surprising, unfortunate and very difficult to understand what happened... Millions of people were waiting for the draw," Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno told the club's television channel.

"Having said that, we go into this tie with a lot of excitement... We're also aware of the difficulties, with the quality of players (PSG) have. We believe the team will play two great games, they'll be fantastic for football."

PSG's initial draw with United was a much anticipated battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi -- the competition's two top goal scorers and winners of 12 of the last 13 Ballon d'Or awards, with Messi leading 7-5 after victory in 2021.

Instead, Messi will now face a familiar opponent in Real Madrid, against whom he has scored 26 times in all competitions when he was at Barcelona.

Real Madrid had also attempted to prise French forward Kylian Mbappe from PSG in the close season but ultimately failed after the Ligue 1 side rejected their bids.

United's Ronaldo, meanwhile, will relish a tie against Spanish champions Atletico having scored 25 goals against them for Real and Juventus.

'They had to do it again'

Liverpool take on Inter Milan with another trip to the San Siro after Juergen Klopp's side beat AC Milan twice in the group stage.

"I had to wait 54 years to play at the San Siro for the first time... and now it'll be twice in three months, so that's good news," Klopp told the Liverpool website.

"Of course, it is a tough draw, definitely. They are the league leaders in Italy; a good team in a good moment."

Klopp added UEFA did the right thing in redoing the draw.

"I saw it live and I thought, 'You cannot let it stand like this, there's no chance.' Definitely, they had to do it again."

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola also agreed a redraw was the right course of action.

"I think it's fair," he said. "It was a mistake and these kind of things sometimes happen... (a redraw) makes sense so there are no suspicions."

Last year's runners-up City face Sporting Lisbon while Juventus, who topped their group above Chelsea, face Villarreal.

Holders Chelsea will face French champions Lille, just as they were drawn in the original draw, while six-times champions Bayern Munich will now face RB Salzburg -- the first Austrian side to qualify for the knockout stages.

Benfica will now play high-flying Ajax Amsterdam who impressed in the group stage by winning all six matches.

UEFA also experienced technical issues while conducting the third-tier Conference League draw later.

The botched process was reminiscent of the 1982 World Cup draw where then-FIFA general secretary Sepp Blatter attempted to prevent any of the four South American qualifiers from being placed in the same group.

However, FIFA did not stick to the procedure they had outlined and placed teams drawn in the wrong groups, leading to confusion among those assembled at the Madrid venue.

One of the spinning cages used to mix the balls also broke down during the redraw and caused further embarrassment.



England Hand First Call-up to Bournemouth Defender Hill

Premier League - AFC Bournemouth vs Leeds United - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - October 31, 2026 AFC Bournemouth's James Hill celebrates after the match. (Reuters)
Premier League - AFC Bournemouth vs Leeds United - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - October 31, 2026 AFC Bournemouth's James Hill celebrates after the match. (Reuters)
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England Hand First Call-up to Bournemouth Defender Hill

Premier League - AFC Bournemouth vs Leeds United - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - October 31, 2026 AFC Bournemouth's James Hill celebrates after the match. (Reuters)
Premier League - AFC Bournemouth vs Leeds United - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - October 31, 2026 AFC Bournemouth's James Hill celebrates after the match. (Reuters)

England have called up uncapped Bournemouth defender James Hill for their Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain.

Hill has been added to Thomas Tuchel's squad after center-backs Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa were ruled out of Thursday's clash with Croatia at Wembley.

Guehi withdrew with an injury suffered in Manchester City's Premier League defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Newcastle defender Dan Burn was called up on Monday, while Arsenal star Konsa will not be fit to face Slaven Bilic's side at Wembley as he is following his own fitness program.

Konsa is expected to be fit for Sunday's game against world champions Spain in Madrid.

The unheralded Hill has enjoyed a rapid rise this season, playing 15 times for Bournemouth to catch Tuchel's eye.

Hill will be fighting for a spot in England's central defense along with Burn, Jarell Quansah and Jarrad Branthwaite.

"Bournemouth defender James Hill has received his first call-up to the England squad," a Football Association statement said on Tuesday.

"The 24-year-old, who represented his nation at under-20 and under-21 level, has joined England ahead of the forthcoming Nations League fixtures.

"Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa will not be in contention for Croatia at Wembley on Thursday as he continues to follow his own program but will return to full training later this week before Sunday's trip to Spain."


Julian Alvarez Exit Comments Annoyed Atletico Players Says Alex Baena

LaLiga - Atletico Madrid v FC Barcelona - Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - November 8, 2026 Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)
LaLiga - Atletico Madrid v FC Barcelona - Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - November 8, 2026 Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)
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Julian Alvarez Exit Comments Annoyed Atletico Players Says Alex Baena

LaLiga - Atletico Madrid v FC Barcelona - Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - November 8, 2026 Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)
LaLiga - Atletico Madrid v FC Barcelona - Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - November 8, 2026 Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)

Julian Alvarez's public expression ‌of his desire to leave Atletico Madrid did not go down well with his teammates, Spain midfielder Alex Baena said in a radio interview on Monday night.

The Argentine striker said publicly in June that he had discussed his future with the club and that "the best thing for everyone would be a transfer", adding that he was keen to fulfill his dream.

Barcelona President Joan Laporta confirmed in August that the club were interested ‌in signing ‌Alvarez, but Atletico refused to sell ‌him ⁠in a transfer ⁠saga that dominated sports headlines in Spain over the summer.

"It feels a bit strange when a teammate says publicly that he wants to leave. It didn’t sit very well with us," Baena told the radio station Cadena SER on Monday night.

"I can understand a player ⁠having doubts if a club like Barca ‌or Real Madrid comes ‌in for you, but, ultimately, it was the way he went ‌about it that really annoyed us at Atletico."

Alvarez ‌apologized to Atletico fans in October for his comments and, while the intense whistling reserved for him at the Metropolitano at the start of the season has subsided, there is ‌still audible hostility from the Atletico crowd.

"We would have supported him regardless of ⁠what he ⁠decided to do. The important thing is that he is with us now, and we need to show him all the affection in the world," said Baena.

Similarly, manager Diego Simeone told a press conference on Sunday that Atletico would wait for Alvarez to return to his best because "he's a great player and we love him".

Barcelona sporting director Deco confirmed in September that Barcelona had made an offer for Alvarez in the summer, but said that "Julian is in the past" as he looked to move on from the story.


Mbappe in Good Spirits After Difficult Spell, Says Konate

 France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe gestures during a training session, third days ahead of France's UEFA Nations League football match against Italy, in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, near Paris, on November 9, 2026. (AFP)
France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe gestures during a training session, third days ahead of France's UEFA Nations League football match against Italy, in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, near Paris, on November 9, 2026. (AFP)
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Mbappe in Good Spirits After Difficult Spell, Says Konate

 France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe gestures during a training session, third days ahead of France's UEFA Nations League football match against Italy, in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, near Paris, on November 9, 2026. (AFP)
France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe gestures during a training session, third days ahead of France's UEFA Nations League football match against Italy, in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, near Paris, on November 9, 2026. (AFP)

France captain Kylian ‌Mbappe had put a difficult period behind him and is focused on helping his team ahead of Nations League fixtures against Italy and Türkiye, defender Ibrahima Konate said.

Mbappe has returned to the France squad after missing their last three matches through injury, having failed to win the Ballon d'Or award and ‌attracting criticism ‌in China over his comments ‌relating ⁠to Mao Zedong, ⁠modern China’s founding leader.

"He's in a very good frame of mind; you can see that from his recent matches," Konate told reporters. "He's been decisive. He's absolutely vital for us in Madrid."

The ⁠27-year-old Real Madrid forward finished ‌second to England ‌captain Harry Kane in the Ballon d'Or voting.

He ‌also had to apologize for remarks ‌made during an interview in which he referred to an online meme depicting his face on an image of Mao.

The episode ‌sparked backlash in China, prompting several brands to end commercial partnerships ⁠with ⁠Mbappe, while Spanish league matches were dropped from state broadcaster CCTV's schedule.

Konate, also Mbappe's club teammate at Real Madrid, said the World Cup winner had responded in typical fashion.

"He's a competitor, so of course not winning the Ballon d'Or when he thought he had a chance is difficult," Konate said. "But the next day he was fully focused in training."