MIKAEL SILVESTRE has revealed his delight after being asked to help with the upcoming Champions League draw – despite the last one being botched by bungling Uefa.
In December, the draw for the last 16 had to be redone after a major blunder saw Manchester United paired with Villarreal – despite the two coming out of the same group.
United were then drawn against Paris Saint-Germain – but having not had their ball added back into the pot to face Atletico Madrid, another entire redraw was ordered once the second huge gaffe was spotted.
After a chaotic hour, the last 16 line up was finally completed within the laws of the competition.
That day, ex-Arsenal ace Andrey Arshavin helped conduct the draw for the ‘Road to St Petersburg’.
However, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the city has now been stripped of the Champions League final – with Paris stepping in.
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And it’s French former Arsenal and Man Utd defender Silvestre who will help oversee the draw for the quarter-final, semi-final and final on Friday, March 18.
Despite the drama from December, the former Premier League star seemed in excited mood over his appointment.
A delighted Silvestre tweeted: “I’m honoured to announce that I will be doing the #UCL quarter-final, semi-final & final draws that take place on March 18th.”
United had originally drawn PSG, with Man City getting Villarreal, Chelsea given Lille and Liverpool drawing RB Salzburg.
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But after the re-draw, United were paired with Atletico, with City getting Sporting Lisbon, Liverpool drawing Inter Milan and Chelsea again seeing Lille’s name come out of the pot.
Liverpool, Man City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are already confirmed as being in the draw for the latter stages of the tournament after successfully navigating the last 16.
But United and Chelsea still have their second legs ahead of them.
The Red Devils drew their first leg 1-1 in Madrid and face Atleti at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
The Blues travel to Lille with a commanding 2-0 lead from the first-leg at Stamford Bridge.