UEFA Considering Changing Seeding Rules From Next Season After Arsenal Current Suffering Comes in Light
Football fans must have enjoyed the second leg of the Barcelona vs Dortmund and PSG vs Aston Villa fixtures. Thanks to first-leg goals, Barcelona and PSG advanced to the semifinals despite losing the games against their respective opponents. But did you notice one specific common factor in those QFs? UEFA did. And now Arsenal is at a disadvantage against Real Madrid. This forces the League to change the ‘seeding ruling’ for the upcoming season. Explaining to you the complete scenario.
Aston Villa and BVB were at home in the second leg of the fixture, and it handed them a massive advantage in the game. Arsenal? It will play the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu. This is seen as a huge disadvantage to the Gunners, who had a better record in the 2024-25 campaign than Real Madrid, finishing third in the 36-team competition.
Also read: Real Madrid vs Arsenal: Will Kylian Mbappe Miss the Champions League Clash Due to Red Card?
What Rule Changes are Expected From UEFA?
As per current rules, who would have the advantage of a home quarter-final or later matches was decided by a random draw. And Gunners were ‘unlucky’ to land home games first and now the side will play without a home second leg for the rest of the tournament. Any remedy for this? Not now actually, it might come into effect from next season.
As reported by the mail, UEFA chiefs will discuss whether to make a change for the upcoming seasons. One massive change that was observed was the omission of extra time in the knockout phases to make the game interesting and fast. As of now, Arsenal will have to play the second-leg games away from home.
The sad news is that Arsenal lost in the quarterfinals last season against Bayern Munich despite a better performance at home in the first leg. So will the 3-0 advantage be enough this time for Mikel Arteta and co.? We will not have to wait too long for the answer.
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