The higher seed from the league phase will host the second leg throughout the knockout stages, but will teams take advantage?
Perhaps Bayern Munich will have more motivation to finish in the top eight of the Champions League league phase. Beginning next season, the top eight teams from the league phase of the Champions League will play the second leg at home for the rest of the knockout rounds. This season that rule only applied to the Round of 16. If two teams from the top eight play each other, the higher seed will play the second leg at home. This was reported by X account @iMiaSanMia, quoting Sport Bild.
The rule makes sense, but we will see how it helps the home team for the second leg. in this season’s Champions League, six of eight teams with home matches in the second leg moved on in the knockout playoffs round. Only half of the top eight, who had this home field advantage, moved on from the round of sixteen. Interestingly, Inter Milan were the only club with the second leg at home to move to the semi-finals — advancing over Bayern with a draw at home after winning in Munich. Both “home” teams from the semi-finals moved on to the Final.
Without breaking down every difference had this rule applied this season, the semi-finals would have both been hosted by the other team — Arsenal and Barcelona finished higher in the top eight, which PSG did not even finish in the top eight. Going into next season’s Champions League, we will see if the new home filed advantage will have any effect on the outcomes of the knockout rounds or if Bayern will push harder for a top eight finish.
