Real Madrid vs Arsenal: UEFA Consider Rule Change After Gunners Win First Leg 3–0
- Real Madrid will host Arsenal in a crucial Champions League knockout match in Spain tonight
- The Gunners beat the Spanish giants 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium to have one leg in the semi-final
- UEFA are reportedly considering a rule change that could change the arrangement of the tie in future
UEFA is reportedly considering a rule change in the UEFA Champions League that would alter the arrangement of knockout games, with the Arsenal vs. Real Madrid tie serving as the reference point.
The European football governing body has revamped Europe's biggest club competition and started a new format of a single group of 36 teams this season.
Source: Getty Images
The new format means each team plays six games each, and the first eight teams on the table secure automatic quarter-final spots, while teams that finished 9-24 play quarterfinal playoff.
UEFA consider rule change
According to Daily Mail, UEFA are considering changing the rule that will alter the arrangement of quarter-final matches, with seeded teams (1-8) playing the second leg at home.
The report noted that having a seeded second leg for the last 16 does not adequately reward the teams in the group stage, and they will discuss amending the rule for next season.
This means that the tie between Arsenal, which finished third and Real Madrid, which finished 11th, should have been played at the Bernabeu first, before the return leg at the Emirates Stadium.
Barcelona, which finished second in the group, played the first leg at home before travelling to Germany for the second leg of their encounter against Borussia Dortmund.
Inter Milan and Aston Villa, both of which finished in the top eight, played away first against Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, before the second leg at their home grounds.
Regardless of the mismatched advantage, Barcelona and Arsenal won their first legs at home 4-0 and 3-0 against Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid, respectively.
Barca lost 3-1 in the second leg and nearly bottled their four-goal lead, while Arsenal will learn their fate when they play at the Bernabeu tonight.
Source: Getty Images
11 Premier League teams in Europe?
The Premier League is guaranteed five teams in the Champions League next season after Arsenal beat Real Madrid to boost the league's coefficient.
However, under some difficult but not impossible conditions, there could be 11 teams in Europe, including in the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
According to Mirror UK, Arsenal or Aston Villa have to win the Champions League and finish outside of the top four in the league, while Tottenham or Manchester United win the Europa League and finish outside of the top four.
Chelsea also have to win the Conference League and finish outside of the Europa League qualification spot, while the FA Cup winner finish outside of the same spot.
This complex permutation would guarantee English teams 11 places across the three competitions next season
Arteta sends message to Real Madrid
Legit.ng reported that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta sent a message to Real Madrid ahead of their quarter-final second-leg tie at the Bernabeu later tonight.
Despite being 3-0 ahead, Madrid have an advantage, but Arteta warned that the 15-time winners should be wary of getting frustrated and allowing Arsenal to play their way.
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Source: Legit.ng
