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DPA
Munich
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge expects a thrilling Champions League conclusion in Lisbon as the one-legged format adds excitement to the elite event.
“The biggest thrill for the fans is of course the knock-out system. The better team normally prevails in two matches while anything is possible in one knock-out game,” Rummenigge said on Tuesday in Munich.
“The format is the one we know from the World Cup. It is like a European club championship. The best European top teams are facing each other.” Owing to the coronavirus crisis, the eight quarter-finalists are gathering in Lisbon to play out the tournament until August 23 in a one-legged format instead of home and away legs until the final.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said the format would not be used again but Rummenigge - whose club play Barcelona on Friday in Lisbon - wouldn’t want to rule it out in a future reform of the elite event from 2024 onwards.
“I don’t think we need a bigger group stage. That is not something that thrills the fans. We must see that we get more spice out of the knock-out rounds,” Rummenigge said.
“The most important thing is to find a reform that makes the Champions League even more attractive - and not more expanded. I am a friend of quality and not of quantity.”The road to the title
Quarter-finals
12 August: Atalanta - Paris Saint-Germain
13 August: RB Leipzig - Atletico Madrid
14 August: Barcelona - Bayern Munich
15 August: Man City - Olympique Lyon
Semi-finals
18 August: Atalanta/PSG–RB Leipzig/Atletico Madrid
19 August: Barcelona/Bayern–Man City/ Lyon
FinalcColor:> 23 AugustWhere will the tournament be played?
The venues for the tournament are Benfica’s Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (also known as the Estadio da Luz), which will host the final, and the Estadio Jose Alvalade from local rivals Sporting.NUMBERS
GAME359: A total of 359 goals have
been scored in the 112
(of 119) matches so far, producing an average of 3.21 goals per game at a rate of one every 29 minutes.
31: Bayern have set two new
records this term, becoming
the first team to win each of their first eight games in the competition, and scoring an unprecedented 31 times in the process.
5: Five substitutions are allowed per
team in each match, as was the
case in the recently ended Bundesliga season.
13: Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski
is the leading scorer in the
Champions League this season with 13 goals. He is followed by Erling Haaland (10), who has already been eliminated with Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus (6).
Munich
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge expects a thrilling Champions League conclusion in Lisbon as the one-legged format adds excitement to the elite event.
“The biggest thrill for the fans is of course the knock-out system. The better team normally prevails in two matches while anything is possible in one knock-out game,” Rummenigge said on Tuesday in Munich.
“The format is the one we know from the World Cup. It is like a European club championship. The best European top teams are facing each other.” Owing to the coronavirus crisis, the eight quarter-finalists are gathering in Lisbon to play out the tournament until August 23 in a one-legged format instead of home and away legs until the final.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said the format would not be used again but Rummenigge - whose club play Barcelona on Friday in Lisbon - wouldn’t want to rule it out in a future reform of the elite event from 2024 onwards.
“I don’t think we need a bigger group stage. That is not something that thrills the fans. We must see that we get more spice out of the knock-out rounds,” Rummenigge said.
“The most important thing is to find a reform that makes the Champions League even more attractive - and not more expanded. I am a friend of quality and not of quantity.”The road to the title
Quarter-finals
12 August: Atalanta - Paris Saint-Germain
13 August: RB Leipzig - Atletico Madrid
14 August: Barcelona - Bayern Munich
15 August: Man City - Olympique Lyon
Semi-finals
18 August: Atalanta/PSG–RB Leipzig/Atletico Madrid
19 August: Barcelona/Bayern–Man City/ Lyon
FinalcColor:> 23 AugustWhere will the tournament be played?
The venues for the tournament are Benfica’s Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (also known as the Estadio da Luz), which will host the final, and the Estadio Jose Alvalade from local rivals Sporting.NUMBERS
GAME359: A total of 359 goals have
been scored in the 112
(of 119) matches so far, producing an average of 3.21 goals per game at a rate of one every 29 minutes.
31: Bayern have set two new
records this term, becoming
the first team to win each of their first eight games in the competition, and scoring an unprecedented 31 times in the process.
5: Five substitutions are allowed per
team in each match, as was the
case in the recently ended Bundesliga season.
13: Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski
is the leading scorer in the
Champions League this season with 13 goals. He is followed by Erling Haaland (10), who has already been eliminated with Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus (6).
