Twitter explodes as Lionel Messi and PSG are pitted against Bayern Munich after Champions League round of 16 draw

Six-time winners Bayern, who won Group C and eliminated Lionel Messi's former side Barcelona, were drawn against PSG.

The Parisians had to settle for second spot in Group H due to an inferior away goal difference to that of group winners Benfica (3).

Lionel Messi was not at PSG the last time the two sides met in the Champions League.

The Ligue 1 giants secured a quarterfinal victory over the Bavarians via away goals after a 3-3 aggregate draw in 2021.

The two European heavyweights also met in the final of the Champions League in 2020, with Kingsley Coman's 59th-minute winner securing the trophy for Bayern.

It promises to be a tantalizing affair between the two sides unbeaten in Europe this season.

Meanwhile, a replay of last season's final is set to commence after Liverpool drew reigning champions Real Madrid.

Vinicius Jr was on hand to strike in the 59th minute of that meeting which denied Liverpool the opportunity of redemption following the 2018 final between the two sides.

Other ties include RB Leipzig facing favorites Manchester City with Erling Haaland returning against a side he has scored six goals in four appearances.

Eintracht Frankfurt take on Napoli, who bagged an astounding 20 goals in the group stages to sit atop the goalscoring charts.

Club Brugge will continue their admirable Champions League journey into the knockout stages against Benfica, who claimed Group H over PSG.

Borussia Dortmund are up against Chelsea, who may have their eyes on Jude Bellingham, given that the midfielder has become one of Europe's most sought-after teenagers.

Inter Milan will face FC Porto after they managed to beat Barca to the second spot in Group C.

AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur are set to clash, with Spurs boasting one win over the Rossoneri in Europe's elite club competition.

Here are some reactions from fans to an intriguing number of matches drawn for the 2022-23 Champions League last 16:

PSG and Lionel Messi seek revenge against Bayern

The Bavarians have been a thorn in their side in recent years, none more so than in 2020.

That year, the Bundesliga giants shocked the football world and Lionel Messi with an incredible 8-2 win at the Nou Camp in the quarterfinals.

Many deemed the result to be the lowest point of Messi's career as Bayern swept the Blaugrana aside in Catalonia.

Hence, redemptions will be on the minds of the Parisians come 14 February 2023 and 7 March 2023.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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