Yes, you read right, Neymar is certainly getting his wish to return to the Blaugrana to romp on the pitch together with his best bosom buddy and former strike-mate, Lionel Messi – but only in the fixture between PSG and Barcelona in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
The UCL draw has been finalised and match-ups for the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League round of 16 have been decided, with one fixture in particular headlining the upcoming stage – Barcelona vs PSG.
After finishing second in their group, the Blaugrana headed into the knockout stage unseeded, meaning they were bound to face tough opposition in the last 16. Managing to avoid Bayern Munich, Man City, and Chelsea they got the Ligue 1 champions instead. This fixture has its own special connotation for a number of reasons, with one being the history between these two clubs and the other being the return of Neymar to the Camp Nou.
Neymar has publicly spoken much about his dream reunion with former team-mate Lionel Messi and will now finally have the opportunity to share the Camp Nou pitch with his Argentine buddy at club level for the first time since leaving Catalonia, with the only difference this time being that they will be on opposing teams. The only niggardly issue of concern is the Brazilian’s fitness, with the Les Parisiens superstar being stretchered off the pitch in Sunday’s defeat to Lyon after suffering a nasty ankle injury.
Also on the card are other interesting showdowns, including a clash between Simeone’s Atletico Madrid and Lampard’s resurgent Chelsea.
Atletico drew Chelsea in what should be a heavy-metal showdown between the Spanish and English giants while Liverpool and Real Madrid got RB Leipzig and Atalanta respectively, two of Europe’s young and exciting teams.
The clash between the Blues and Los Rojiblancos, in particular, will be interesting, given their head-to-head record. The London giants have locked horns with Atletico seven times before, with both sides winning twice while drawing in the remaining three encounters. The Stamford Bridge side can enter with some confidence given that the last time they faced off was in last season’s group stage, with Lampard’s men emerging unbeaten both home and away (W1, D1).
Elsewhere, defending champions Bayern Munich will face Lazio in what should be a straight-forward fixture for the rampant Bundesliga side. Juventus will face Porto, a game which will see Cristiano Ronaldo return to Portugal to face the Dragons, a bitter rival of his former club Sporting Lisbon.