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The Madrid press will speculate about Kylian Mbappé’s future but it is impossible to consider this week’s PSG v Real Madrid contest without thinking first and foremost of Lionel Messi, the ex-Barcelona man facing his old foe. The Argentinian maestro scored more goals in clásicos than any other player, with 26 in 45 appearances, including two when Barcelona beatMadrid in a 2010/11 Champions League semi-final. Messi’s goal output so far in Ligue 1 may be low – two in 14 games, albeit with eight assists – but this is the Champions League, where he has five from five appearances with Paris. And, moreover, this is Madrid in his sights once more.
The knockout stage of this season’s Champions League will feature a notable novelty – for the first time in more than 50 years, the away-goals rule will not apply if teams are tied on aggregate at the end of the second leg.
The decision to abolish the away-goals rule was made lastJune, when UEFA President Aleksandr Čeferin said that “home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was” owing to greater uniformity of playing styles and conditions. An away trip in the today’s Champions League can seldom be called a step into the unknown and a rule introduced to counter defensive tactics hardly fits the current era – tellingly, in the last tie decided by the rule, Bayern München’s win over Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s quarter-final, both sides won their away leg.
The first season when away goals ‘counted double’ was 1970/71 before which the coin toss was still in use. UEFA’s statistics say that in the1970s, 61% of matches ended in victory for the home team. By comparison last season in the Champions League there were only two more victories recorded by the home team (51) than the away team (49); even factoring in the absence of home crowds, that was still some leap from just a decade ago when, in the2011/21 campaign, there were 62 to 32.
For a measure of how away goals now flow, consider that Bayern, visitors to Salzburg this week, last recorded a blank on their continental travels in February 2019. Liverpool, meanwhile, have scored in every European away game since February 2020. Looking just at this season’s competition, Bayern and Liverpool are among eight sides in the last 16 to have scored in all three of their away games so far. Moreover, if you take the 48 matches contested away from home by the round of 16 participants, they failed to score in just 10 of them.
Bayern are unbeaten in 21 away matches in the competition ahead of their trip across the border to a Salzburg side competing at this stage of the Champions League for the first time. Bayern won all three away games in the group stage though Salzburg achieved a 100% home record in their section and might have detected a weakness or two when watching the Bundesliga leaders’ 4-2 defeat at Bochum on Saturday.
A Salzburg victory over Bayern would be a big upset. So too if Sporting were to overcome Manchester City in Lisbon in what is the Portuguese champions’ first game at this stage since 2009 (when, incidentally, they suffered a 12-1 aggregate thrashing by Bayern). It says plenty about the relative weakness of Serie A when set against the Premier League that an Inter victory over Liverpool would also raise eyebrows across Europe. The historical head-to-head reads 1-1 for ties won, and Inter, like Liverpool, sit second in their domestic league. Simeone Inzaghi’s men are competing in the Champions League last 16 for the first time in 10 years and will be missing key midfielder Nicolò Barella. For their part, Liverpool who won at San Siro only two months ago, when defeating AC Milan 2-1 in their last group fixture, enter the tie having won their last six games in all competitions.
In Portugal, Sebastián Coates is known as the inspirational skipper of Sporting and the 2020/21 Primeira Liga player of the season. In England he is remembered as the raw defender who struggled to make an impression in 24 appearances for Liverpool before moving on to Sunderland. Manchester City could be the perfect measure of how much the Uruguayan has matured since landing in Lisbon in 2016 – and not just for the fact the English champions have scored in each of their last 21 matches. After all, on the last three occasions Coates faced City in England, as a Sunderland player, he lost 4-1 each time. He will be hoping for a change of luck as Sporting welcome City back to the venue where Pep Guardiola’s men lost their 2020 quarter-final to Lyon.
The Madrid press will speculate about Kylian Mbappé’s future but it is impossible to consider this week’s PSG v Real Madrid contest without thinking first and foremost of Lionel Messi, the ex-Barcelona man facing his old foe. The Argentinian maestro scored more goals in clásicos than any other player, with 26 in 45 appearances, including two when Barcelona beatMadrid in a 2010/11 Champions League semi-final. Messi’s goal output so far in Ligue 1 may be low – two in 14 games, albeit with eight assists – but this is the Champions League, where he has five from five appearances with Paris. And, moreover, this is Madrid in his sights once more.
The knockout stage of this season’s Champions League will feature a notable novelty – for the first time in more than 50 years, the away-goals rule will not apply if teams are tied on aggregate at the end of the second leg.
The decision to abolish the away-goals rule was made lastJune, when UEFA President Aleksandr Čeferin said that “home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was” owing to greater uniformity of playing styles and conditions. An away trip in the today’s Champions League can seldom be called a step into the unknown and a rule introduced to counter defensive tactics hardly fits the current era – tellingly, in the last tie decided by the rule, Bayern München’s win over Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s quarter-final, both sides won their away leg.
The first season when away goals ‘counted double’ was 1970/71 before which the coin toss was still in use. UEFA’s statistics say that in the1970s, 61% of matches ended in victory for the home team. By comparison last season in the Champions League there were only two more victories recorded by the home team (51) than the away team (49); even factoring in the absence of home crowds, that was still some leap from just a decade ago when, in the2011/21 campaign, there were 62 to 32.
For a measure of how away goals now flow, consider that Bayern, visitors to Salzburg this week, last recorded a blank on their continental travels in February 2019. Liverpool, meanwhile, have scored in every European away game since February 2020. Looking just at this season’s competition, Bayern and Liverpool are among eight sides in the last 16 to have scored in all three of their away games so far. Moreover, if you take the 48 matches contested away from home by the round of 16 participants, they failed to score in just 10 of them.
Bayern are unbeaten in 21 away matches in the competition ahead of their trip across the border to a Salzburg side competing at this stage of the Champions League for the first time. Bayern won all three away games in the group stage though Salzburg achieved a 100% home record in their section and might have detected a weakness or two when watching the Bundesliga leaders’ 4-2 defeat at Bochum on Saturday.
A Salzburg victory over Bayern would be a big upset. So too if Sporting were to overcome Manchester City in Lisbon in what is the Portuguese champions’ first game at this stage since 2009 (when, incidentally, they suffered a 12-1 aggregate thrashing by Bayern). It says plenty about the relative weakness of Serie A when set against the Premier League that an Inter victory over Liverpool would also raise eyebrows across Europe. The historical head-to-head reads 1-1 for ties won, and Inter, like Liverpool, sit second in their domestic league. Simeone Inzaghi’s men are competing in the Champions League last 16 for the first time in 10 years and will be missing key midfielder Nicolò Barella. For their part, Liverpool who won at San Siro only two months ago, when defeating AC Milan 2-1 in their last group fixture, enter the tie having won their last six games in all competitions.
In Portugal, Sebastián Coates is known as the inspirational skipper of Sporting and the 2020/21 Primeira Liga player of the season. In England he is remembered as the raw defender who struggled to make an impression in 24 appearances for Liverpool before moving on to Sunderland. Manchester City could be the perfect measure of how much the Uruguayan has matured since landing in Lisbon in 2016 – and not just for the fact the English champions have scored in each of their last 21 matches. After all, on the last three occasions Coates faced City in England, as a Sunderland player, he lost 4-1 each time. He will be hoping for a change of luck as Sporting welcome City back to the venue where Pep Guardiola’s men lost their 2020 quarter-final to Lyon.
The Madrid press will speculate about Kylian Mbappé’s future but it is impossible to consider this week’s PSG v Real Madrid contest without thinking first and foremost of Lionel Messi, the ex-Barcelona man facing his old foe. The Argentinian maestro scored more goals in clásicos than any other player, with 26 in 45 appearances, including two when Barcelona beatMadrid in a 2010/11 Champions League semi-final. Messi’s goal output so far in Ligue 1 may be low – two in 14 games, albeit with eight assists – but this is the Champions League, where he has five from five appearances with Paris. And, moreover, this is Madrid in his sights once more.
The knockout stage of this season’s Champions League will feature a notable novelty – for the first time in more than 50 years, the away-goals rule will not apply if teams are tied on aggregate at the end of the second leg.
The decision to abolish the away-goals rule was made lastJune, when UEFA President Aleksandr Čeferin said that “home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was” owing to greater uniformity of playing styles and conditions. An away trip in the today’s Champions League can seldom be called a step into the unknown and a rule introduced to counter defensive tactics hardly fits the current era – tellingly, in the last tie decided by the rule, Bayern München’s win over Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s quarter-final, both sides won their away leg.
The first season when away goals ‘counted double’ was 1970/71 before which the coin toss was still in use. UEFA’s statistics say that in the1970s, 61% of matches ended in victory for the home team. By comparison last season in the Champions League there were only two more victories recorded by the home team (51) than the away team (49); even factoring in the absence of home crowds, that was still some leap from just a decade ago when, in the2011/21 campaign, there were 62 to 32.
For a measure of how away goals now flow, consider that Bayern, visitors to Salzburg this week, last recorded a blank on their continental travels in February 2019. Liverpool, meanwhile, have scored in every European away game since February 2020. Looking just at this season’s competition, Bayern and Liverpool are among eight sides in the last 16 to have scored in all three of their away games so far. Moreover, if you take the 48 matches contested away from home by the round of 16 participants, they failed to score in just 10 of them.
Bayern are unbeaten in 21 away matches in the competition ahead of their trip across the border to a Salzburg side competing at this stage of the Champions League for the first time. Bayern won all three away games in the group stage though Salzburg achieved a 100% home record in their section and might have detected a weakness or two when watching the Bundesliga leaders’ 4-2 defeat at Bochum on Saturday.
A Salzburg victory over Bayern would be a big upset. So too if Sporting were to overcome Manchester City in Lisbon in what is the Portuguese champions’ first game at this stage since 2009 (when, incidentally, they suffered a 12-1 aggregate thrashing by Bayern). It says plenty about the relative weakness of Serie A when set against the Premier League that an Inter victory over Liverpool would also raise eyebrows across Europe. The historical head-to-head reads 1-1 for ties won, and Inter, like Liverpool, sit second in their domestic league. Simeone Inzaghi’s men are competing in the Champions League last 16 for the first time in 10 years and will be missing key midfielder Nicolò Barella. For their part, Liverpool who won at San Siro only two months ago, when defeating AC Milan 2-1 in their last group fixture, enter the tie having won their last six games in all competitions.
In Portugal, Sebastián Coates is known as the inspirational skipper of Sporting and the 2020/21 Primeira Liga player of the season. In England he is remembered as the raw defender who struggled to make an impression in 24 appearances for Liverpool before moving on to Sunderland. Manchester City could be the perfect measure of how much the Uruguayan has matured since landing in Lisbon in 2016 – and not just for the fact the English champions have scored in each of their last 21 matches. After all, on the last three occasions Coates faced City in England, as a Sunderland player, he lost 4-1 each time. He will be hoping for a change of luck as Sporting welcome City back to the venue where Pep Guardiola’s men lost their 2020 quarter-final to Lyon.
The Madrid press will speculate about Kylian Mbappé’s future but it is impossible to consider this week’s PSG v Real Madrid contest without thinking first and foremost of Lionel Messi, the ex-Barcelona man facing his old foe. The Argentinian maestro scored more goals in clásicos than any other player, with 26 in 45 appearances, including two when Barcelona beatMadrid in a 2010/11 Champions League semi-final. Messi’s goal output so far in Ligue 1 may be low – two in 14 games, albeit with eight assists – but this is the Champions League, where he has five from five appearances with Paris. And, moreover, this is Madrid in his sights once more.
The knockout stage of this season’s Champions League will feature a notable novelty – for the first time in more than 50 years, the away-goals rule will not apply if teams are tied on aggregate at the end of the second leg.
The decision to abolish the away-goals rule was made lastJune, when UEFA President Aleksandr Čeferin said that “home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was” owing to greater uniformity of playing styles and conditions. An away trip in the today’s Champions League can seldom be called a step into the unknown and a rule introduced to counter defensive tactics hardly fits the current era – tellingly, in the last tie decided by the rule, Bayern München’s win over Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s quarter-final, both sides won their away leg.
The first season when away goals ‘counted double’ was 1970/71 before which the coin toss was still in use. UEFA’s statistics say that in the1970s, 61% of matches ended in victory for the home team. By comparison last season in the Champions League there were only two more victories recorded by the home team (51) than the away team (49); even factoring in the absence of home crowds, that was still some leap from just a decade ago when, in the2011/21 campaign, there were 62 to 32.
For a measure of how away goals now flow, consider that Bayern, visitors to Salzburg this week, last recorded a blank on their continental travels in February 2019. Liverpool, meanwhile, have scored in every European away game since February 2020. Looking just at this season’s competition, Bayern and Liverpool are among eight sides in the last 16 to have scored in all three of their away games so far. Moreover, if you take the 48 matches contested away from home by the round of 16 participants, they failed to score in just 10 of them.
Bayern are unbeaten in 21 away matches in the competition ahead of their trip across the border to a Salzburg side competing at this stage of the Champions League for the first time. Bayern won all three away games in the group stage though Salzburg achieved a 100% home record in their section and might have detected a weakness or two when watching the Bundesliga leaders’ 4-2 defeat at Bochum on Saturday.
A Salzburg victory over Bayern would be a big upset. So too if Sporting were to overcome Manchester City in Lisbon in what is the Portuguese champions’ first game at this stage since 2009 (when, incidentally, they suffered a 12-1 aggregate thrashing by Bayern). It says plenty about the relative weakness of Serie A when set against the Premier League that an Inter victory over Liverpool would also raise eyebrows across Europe. The historical head-to-head reads 1-1 for ties won, and Inter, like Liverpool, sit second in their domestic league. Simeone Inzaghi’s men are competing in the Champions League last 16 for the first time in 10 years and will be missing key midfielder Nicolò Barella. For their part, Liverpool who won at San Siro only two months ago, when defeating AC Milan 2-1 in their last group fixture, enter the tie having won their last six games in all competitions.
In Portugal, Sebastián Coates is known as the inspirational skipper of Sporting and the 2020/21 Primeira Liga player of the season. In England he is remembered as the raw defender who struggled to make an impression in 24 appearances for Liverpool before moving on to Sunderland. Manchester City could be the perfect measure of how much the Uruguayan has matured since landing in Lisbon in 2016 – and not just for the fact the English champions have scored in each of their last 21 matches. After all, on the last three occasions Coates faced City in England, as a Sunderland player, he lost 4-1 each time. He will be hoping for a change of luck as Sporting welcome City back to the venue where Pep Guardiola’s men lost their 2020 quarter-final to Lyon.
The Madrid press will speculate about Kylian Mbappé’s future but it is impossible to consider this week’s PSG v Real Madrid contest without thinking first and foremost of Lionel Messi, the ex-Barcelona man facing his old foe. The Argentinian maestro scored more goals in clásicos than any other player, with 26 in 45 appearances, including two when Barcelona beatMadrid in a 2010/11 Champions League semi-final. Messi’s goal output so far in Ligue 1 may be low – two in 14 games, albeit with eight assists – but this is the Champions League, where he has five from five appearances with Paris. And, moreover, this is Madrid in his sights once more.
The knockout stage of this season’s Champions League will feature a notable novelty – for the first time in more than 50 years, the away-goals rule will not apply if teams are tied on aggregate at the end of the second leg.
The decision to abolish the away-goals rule was made lastJune, when UEFA President Aleksandr Čeferin said that “home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was” owing to greater uniformity of playing styles and conditions. An away trip in the today’s Champions League can seldom be called a step into the unknown and a rule introduced to counter defensive tactics hardly fits the current era – tellingly, in the last tie decided by the rule, Bayern München’s win over Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s quarter-final, both sides won their away leg.
The first season when away goals ‘counted double’ was 1970/71 before which the coin toss was still in use. UEFA’s statistics say that in the1970s, 61% of matches ended in victory for the home team. By comparison last season in the Champions League there were only two more victories recorded by the home team (51) than the away team (49); even factoring in the absence of home crowds, that was still some leap from just a decade ago when, in the2011/21 campaign, there were 62 to 32.
For a measure of how away goals now flow, consider that Bayern, visitors to Salzburg this week, last recorded a blank on their continental travels in February 2019. Liverpool, meanwhile, have scored in every European away game since February 2020. Looking just at this season’s competition, Bayern and Liverpool are among eight sides in the last 16 to have scored in all three of their away games so far. Moreover, if you take the 48 matches contested away from home by the round of 16 participants, they failed to score in just 10 of them.
Bayern are unbeaten in 21 away matches in the competition ahead of their trip across the border to a Salzburg side competing at this stage of the Champions League for the first time. Bayern won all three away games in the group stage though Salzburg achieved a 100% home record in their section and might have detected a weakness or two when watching the Bundesliga leaders’ 4-2 defeat at Bochum on Saturday.
A Salzburg victory over Bayern would be a big upset. So too if Sporting were to overcome Manchester City in Lisbon in what is the Portuguese champions’ first game at this stage since 2009 (when, incidentally, they suffered a 12-1 aggregate thrashing by Bayern). It says plenty about the relative weakness of Serie A when set against the Premier League that an Inter victory over Liverpool would also raise eyebrows across Europe. The historical head-to-head reads 1-1 for ties won, and Inter, like Liverpool, sit second in their domestic league. Simeone Inzaghi’s men are competing in the Champions League last 16 for the first time in 10 years and will be missing key midfielder Nicolò Barella. For their part, Liverpool who won at San Siro only two months ago, when defeating AC Milan 2-1 in their last group fixture, enter the tie having won their last six games in all competitions.
In Portugal, Sebastián Coates is known as the inspirational skipper of Sporting and the 2020/21 Primeira Liga player of the season. In England he is remembered as the raw defender who struggled to make an impression in 24 appearances for Liverpool before moving on to Sunderland. Manchester City could be the perfect measure of how much the Uruguayan has matured since landing in Lisbon in 2016 – and not just for the fact the English champions have scored in each of their last 21 matches. After all, on the last three occasions Coates faced City in England, as a Sunderland player, he lost 4-1 each time. He will be hoping for a change of luck as Sporting welcome City back to the venue where Pep Guardiola’s men lost their 2020 quarter-final to Lyon.
The Madrid press will speculate about Kylian Mbappé’s future but it is impossible to consider this week’s PSG v Real Madrid contest without thinking first and foremost of Lionel Messi, the ex-Barcelona man facing his old foe. The Argentinian maestro scored more goals in clásicos than any other player, with 26 in 45 appearances, including two when Barcelona beatMadrid in a 2010/11 Champions League semi-final. Messi’s goal output so far in Ligue 1 may be low – two in 14 games, albeit with eight assists – but this is the Champions League, where he has five from five appearances with Paris. And, moreover, this is Madrid in his sights once more.
The knockout stage of this season’s Champions League will feature a notable novelty – for the first time in more than 50 years, the away-goals rule will not apply if teams are tied on aggregate at the end of the second leg.
The decision to abolish the away-goals rule was made lastJune, when UEFA President Aleksandr Čeferin said that “home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was” owing to greater uniformity of playing styles and conditions. An away trip in the today’s Champions League can seldom be called a step into the unknown and a rule introduced to counter defensive tactics hardly fits the current era – tellingly, in the last tie decided by the rule, Bayern München’s win over Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s quarter-final, both sides won their away leg.
The first season when away goals ‘counted double’ was 1970/71 before which the coin toss was still in use. UEFA’s statistics say that in the1970s, 61% of matches ended in victory for the home team. By comparison last season in the Champions League there were only two more victories recorded by the home team (51) than the away team (49); even factoring in the absence of home crowds, that was still some leap from just a decade ago when, in the2011/21 campaign, there were 62 to 32.
For a measure of how away goals now flow, consider that Bayern, visitors to Salzburg this week, last recorded a blank on their continental travels in February 2019. Liverpool, meanwhile, have scored in every European away game since February 2020. Looking just at this season’s competition, Bayern and Liverpool are among eight sides in the last 16 to have scored in all three of their away games so far. Moreover, if you take the 48 matches contested away from home by the round of 16 participants, they failed to score in just 10 of them.
Bayern are unbeaten in 21 away matches in the competition ahead of their trip across the border to a Salzburg side competing at this stage of the Champions League for the first time. Bayern won all three away games in the group stage though Salzburg achieved a 100% home record in their section and might have detected a weakness or two when watching the Bundesliga leaders’ 4-2 defeat at Bochum on Saturday.
A Salzburg victory over Bayern would be a big upset. So too if Sporting were to overcome Manchester City in Lisbon in what is the Portuguese champions’ first game at this stage since 2009 (when, incidentally, they suffered a 12-1 aggregate thrashing by Bayern). It says plenty about the relative weakness of Serie A when set against the Premier League that an Inter victory over Liverpool would also raise eyebrows across Europe. The historical head-to-head reads 1-1 for ties won, and Inter, like Liverpool, sit second in their domestic league. Simeone Inzaghi’s men are competing in the Champions League last 16 for the first time in 10 years and will be missing key midfielder Nicolò Barella. For their part, Liverpool who won at San Siro only two months ago, when defeating AC Milan 2-1 in their last group fixture, enter the tie having won their last six games in all competitions.
In Portugal, Sebastián Coates is known as the inspirational skipper of Sporting and the 2020/21 Primeira Liga player of the season. In England he is remembered as the raw defender who struggled to make an impression in 24 appearances for Liverpool before moving on to Sunderland. Manchester City could be the perfect measure of how much the Uruguayan has matured since landing in Lisbon in 2016 – and not just for the fact the English champions have scored in each of their last 21 matches. After all, on the last three occasions Coates faced City in England, as a Sunderland player, he lost 4-1 each time. He will be hoping for a change of luck as Sporting welcome City back to the venue where Pep Guardiola’s men lost their 2020 quarter-final to Lyon.
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