The Champions League is back so here’s all you need to know, including where we left off and how to bet on the action with BetConnect.
The state of play
Almost five months have passed since the final night of Champions League football before the season was put on hold. If you can remember back that far, holders Liverpool were knocked out by Atletico Madrid in one of the four round of 16 ties to have already been concluded.
The fates of Manchester City and Chelsea however, are yet to be decided with the Premier League duo still to play the second legs of their respective Last-16 ties. But after a 149-day wait, Champions League football has finally been given the green light to return on Friday.
Manchester City are up first with Pep Guardiola’s side hoping to protect a 2-1 aggregate lead at home to Real Madrid. Chelsea meanwhile, face an uphill task to keep their Champions League hopes alive. They go to Bayern Munich on Saturday needing to overturn a 3-0 deficit from the first leg at Stamford Bridge in February.
Remaining Last 16 fixtures
Friday, August 7
Juventus v Lyon (agg 0-1)
Manchester City v Real Madrid (agg 2-1)
Saturday, August 8
Barcelona v Napoli (agg 1-1)
Bayern Munich v Chelsea (agg 3-0)
Can new signings play?
New signings are not eligible to play in the Champions League until next season. That means Leroy Sane will have to wait to turn out for Bayern Munich following his move from Manchester City. Timo Werner is also unable to feature in whatever is left of Chelsea’s campaign.
The new format
Once the quarter-final spots have been decided, the Champions League deviates from its usual format. The main difference being that the quarter and semi-finals will now be played as one-legged ties in neutral venues, meaning no away goals. All matches will be played in Lisbon, Portugal, split between Benfica’s Estadio da Luz and Estadio Jose Alvalade, the home of Sporting Lisbon.
Quarter and semi-final draws
Wednesday, August 12 – quarter-final 1
Atalanta vs Paris Saint-Germain
Thursday, August 13 – quarter-final 2
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid
Friday, August 14 – quarter-final 3
Napoli or Barcelona vs Chelsea or Bayern Munich
Saturday, August 15 – quarter-final 4
Real Madrid or Manchester City vs Lyon or Juventus
Tuesday, August 18 – semi-final 1
Winners of QF2 vs Winners of QF1
Wednesday, August 19 – semi-final 2
Winners of QF4 vs Winners of QF3
When is the Champions League final?
The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul was initially scheduled to host the Champions League final on May 30. However it will now be held at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz on August 23.
How to bet on the Champions League
As always BetConnect will have you covered for all of the remaining Champions League action. Simply log in to your account and we’ll have your usual football markets and best odds ready for you with no restrictions. If you haven’t already, then why not create a BetConnect account today? Alternatively, you can find out more about our unique offering and what it can do for you here.
