Champions League and Europa League

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Champions League and Europa League guide: Format, dates and rules on fans attending
Last updated on

19 October 202019 October 2020.From the section European Football

Bayern Munich players celebrate with the Champions League trophy

Bayern Munich won the Champions League/European Cup for the sixth time last season

The Champions League and Europa League group stages get under way this week.
After last season's alterations to both competitions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to affect the game across the globe, what format will the 2020-21 tournaments take, when will the games be played and will fans be allowed in to see them?

BBC Sport answers all your questions in our preview guide...
What are the formats for the tournaments this year?
Uefa's solution to last season's Champions League competition being disrupted was to stage a "final eight" knockout tournament played across 12 days in Lisbon, German side Bayern Munich emerging as winners.

A similar format was used for the remaining Europa League ties, which were staged in Germany with the competition won by Spanish side Sevilla.
This season sees a return to the more familiar format for both tournaments.

In the Champions League, 32 teams from 14 countries have already been drawn into eight groups of four and will play each other twice (home and away), with the top two from each group qualifying for the knockout rounds. The eight third-place teams drop into the Europa League at the last-32 stage.

The Europa League has 12 groups of four, with home and away games to decide who qualifies for the knockout rounds courtesy of a top-two finish.
The last-32 stage to semi-final of each tournament will consist of home and away legs.

When are the rounds played?
With delays to the 2019-20 season meaning the Champions League and Europa League finals were not played until late in August, fixtures for the 2020-21 competitions were delayed.

The Champions League group stage gets under way on Tuesday, with Europa League group-stage fixtures commencing on Thursday.
Here is a breakdown of the fixtures and when they take place...


Champions League and Europa League fixtures
Champions LeagueEuropa League
Group matchday 120/10/2020-21/10/2020Group matchday 122/10/2020
Group matchday 227/10/2020-28/10/2020Group matchday 229/10/2020
Group matchday 303/11/2020-04/11/2020Group matchday 305/11/2020
Group matchday 424/11/2020-25/11/2020Group matchday 426/11/2020
Group matchday 501/12/2020-02/12/2020Group matchday 503/12/2020
Group matchday 608/12/2020-09/12/2020Group matchday 610/12/2020
Last 1616/02/2021-17/03/2021Last 3218/02/2021-25/02/2021
Quarter-finals06/04/2021-14/04/2021Last 1611/03/2021-18/03/2021
Semi-finals27/04/2021-05/05/2021Quarter-finals08/04/2021-15/04/2021
Final29/05/2021Semi-finals29/04/2021-06/05/2021
Final26/05/2021


When do matches kick off?
Group-stage fixtures in both competitions will kick-off at either 17:55 BST/GMT or 20:00.
You can see the full list in our fixtures pages for the Champions League and Europa League.

What is the situation with fans?
When they returned after a five-month absence in 2019-20, Europe's premier club competitions were played out behind closed doors in bio-secure environments.
At the start of October, Uefa announced that fans would be allowed into stadiums for Champions League and Europa League games, but only in those areas where local law permits it.

So, as it stands, fans can attend games in France and Germany, who have started to let supporters return in restricted numbers, but not in England, where all fixtures continue to be played behind closed doors.

Where permitted, stadiums can be filled to a maximum of 30% capacity for this season's European games. Away supporters will not be allowed at games as it stands.
Uefa's decision came after a successful pilot, which saw 15,000 fans attend the European Super Cup match between Bayern Munich and Sevilla at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.

Where are this year's finals?
This season's two final venues are the same as those originally scheduled to host the 2020 deciders.
The Champions League final will be played in the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
The 70,000-capacity venue is used for Turkish national team fixtures and has, at various points, been the temporary home for Istanbul clubs Galatasaray, İstanbul Basaksehir and Besiktas.

Famously, it hosted the 2005 Champions League final, which saw Liverpool come back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with AC Milan, before beating them on penalties.

The Europa League final will take place at Poland's 41,620-capacity Gdansk Stadium, home to Lechia Gdansk.

Who are the favourites to win?
Holders Bayern Munich are the frontrunners again for this season's Champions League, after they so ruthlessly tore apart the competition in 2019-20's mini-tournament.
Unsurprisingly, Manchester City and Liverpool lead the English challenge, with Chelsea and Manchester United behind Paris St-Germain, Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid with the odds-makers.

Teams dropping down from the Champions League to the Europa League will alter the make-up of the latter after the group stage.
But as it stands Premier League duo Arsenal and Tottenham are among the favourites for the Europa League, ahead of Italian pair AC Milan and Napoli.

Leicester are the other English side in the competition, which also contains Scottish representation with Old Firm pair Celtic and Rangers.


www.bbc.com

Champions League and Europa League guide: Format, dates and rules on fans attending

BBC Sport tells you how, where and when the European competitions will be taking place this season - and who can watch in person.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com



who do you think will win this year's competition?


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today's games

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Paris Saint Germain vs Manchester United (10pm)

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Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, forward Mason Greenwood and new signing Edinson Cavani have not travelled for Tuesday's Champions League group match at Paris St-Germain.

Defender Maguire, 27, scored in Saturday's 4-1 win at Newcastle, but Greenwood, 19, also missed that game.

Ex-PSG striker Cavani - a deadline-day arrival - has had one training session since a 14-day isolation period ended.

Centre-back Eric Bailly and midfielder Jesse Lingard are also missing.

"We are a little bit depleted but we have more than enough players," said manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who confirmed midfielder Bruno Fernandes will captain the side in the French capital on Tuesday (20:00 BST kick-off).

"We hope the players won't be away for too long. Edinson needs a few more days' training. Maybe we can think about the weekend.

"Hopefully Harry, Eric and Mason as well, but we're not sure about that."

United, who last won the Champions League in 2008, and PSG are joined in Group H by Turkish champions Istanbul Basaksehir and German side RB Leipzig.

Potential return for Marquinhos and Draxler
Last season's beaten finalists Paris St-Germain will be without midfielders Marco Verratti and Leandro Paredes, striker Mauro Icardi and defenders Thilo Kehrer and Juan Bernat for the match at the Parc des Princes.

Verratti and Paredes have both picked up a muscle injuries, while Icardi is out with a knee problem.

But centre-back Marquinhos and attacking midfielder Julian Draxler have returned to training this week and could feature.

On-loan midfielder Danilo Pereira is available for the first time after self-isolating following contact with Portugal team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, who tested positive for coronavirus last week.

Ex-Manchester United winger Angel di Maria returns from suspension, while midfielder Ander Herrera is also likely to face his former club.

'We don't have good memories'
PSG react to being knocked out of the Champions League during the 2018-19 season

Marcus Rashford scored an injury-time penalty as Manchester United staged an incredible comeback to beat


'51% chance of progressing'
Chances of progression stats

Entertainment data company Gracenote say Manchester United have a 51% chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Simon Gleave, head of sports analysis, said: "Manchester United have got a very rough draw with two of last season's Champions League semi-finalists in their group.

"Both Paris St-Germain (sixth) and RB Leipzig (10th) are ranked by the Euro Club Index above United, who are 12th.

"No other group in this season's Champions League contains three of the best 12 teams in Europe,so someone is missing out."


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possible line up

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Half time.

PSG 0-1 Man Utd

Bruno Fernandes goes the same way, just to the right of the keeper and this time Keylor Navas dives the other way.
Nerves of steel. BIG goal.

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unfortunately

New
54 mins

GOAL - PSG 1-1 Man Utd
Anthony Martial (own goal)
Oh. Errr.
It's whipped in from the corner and Anthony Martial, under very little pressure, closes his eyes and somehow heads it into his own net.
It would have been a decent goal at the other end but it's just so bizarre!

 
Last edited:
Yerstedays results

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Todays Games

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The big ones

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Ajax's home struggles - the stats
  • Ajax and Liverpool will meet for the first time since the 1966-67 European Cup, where the Dutch side eliminated the Reds with a 7-3 aggregate victory in the Last 16.
  • Since losing 5-1 against Ajax in December 1966, Liverpool have gone unbeaten in their 13 games against Dutch opponents in European competition (W8 D5).
  • Ajax have only won one of their previous six games against English opponents in European competition (D2 L3), going winless in the most recent three since a 1-0 victory against Spurs in the Champions League semi-final first leg in 2018-19.
  • Ajax have won just one of their previous seven home games in the Champions League (D2 L4), with two of the last three defeats in this run coming against English opponents - 2-3 v Spurs in May 2019 and 0-1 v Chelsea in October 2019.
  • Liverpool have lost their last two games in the Champions League (both against Atletico Madrid last season), while they have not suffered three consecutive defeats in the competition since October-November 2014, under Brendan Rodgers.
  • Ajax's Dusan Tadic has had a direct hand in 13 goals in 18 appearances in the Champions League (six goals and seven assists); the most of any player for the Dutch side since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
  • Roberto Firmino has been directly involved in 26 goals in 33 Champions League games for Liverpool (15 goals and 11 assists) - since his debut in the competition in 2017-18, the only other player to have scored 10+ goals and made 10+ assists in this period is Kylian Mbappe (13 goals, 13 assists).
  • Should he appear in this game, Klaas Jan Huntelaar (37y 71d) would become just the second player to feature for Ajax in the Champions League at the age of 37, following Danny Blind back in 1998.
  • Since making his Champions League debut for Liverpool in September 2017, Mohamed Salah has netted 19 goals in the competition for the Reds - the most of any player for an English club in this period.
 
ghafla bin vu, bets zina ungua.

28 mins

GOAL - Real Madrid 0-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Tete
The visitors take the lead!
And you have to say they deserve it. Marcelo slides to block as Vikto Korniienko prepares to shoot but instead the defender knocks the ball on for Tete, who hits a low effort into the bottom corner.


31 mins

GOAL - Real Madrid 0-2 Shakhtar Donetsk
Raphael Varane OG
Well then!
Unbelievable scenes in Madrid as the unfancied visitors get a second.
They had stayed on the front foot after taking the lead and they are rewarded with another goal as Tete's shot is too hot for Thibaut Courtois to handle and Raphael Varane compounds to stab in the loose ball as he tried to stop Dentinho getting to it.
Disaster for Real Madrid.


watch live today's games.

 
the big ones

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Head To Head

This will be the 14th competitive meeting between these two sides, 11 of which have come in UEFA competition, with Barcelona just about edging the head-to-head record.

Juventus have failed to even score in the last three meetings, but they are unbeaten in their six previous home games against Barca - their joint-best undefeated total against a side in European competition.

The two sides were most recently paired together in the 2017-18 group stages, when Barcelona won 3-0 at Camp Nou and drew 0-0 in Turin.



Barcelona still have quite a few of the players that won the 2015 final against Juventus, but as a team they look a million miles away from being able to scale the heights of European football again at the moment.

Juventus have not been in great form themselves as they continue to find their feet under Pirlo, but they seem in less trouble than Barcelona and so we are backing them to come out on top on Wednesday, even without Ronaldo.



Officially official: Juventus confirms that Cristiano Ronaldo will be out for tonight's UCL clash against Barcelona 2020 is such a bummer

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also

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigns
Last updated on

27 October 202027 October 2020.From the section European Football

Josep Maria Bartomeu

Bartomeu has been president since Sandro Rosell resigned in 2014

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has resigned under increasing pressure, but said he had accepted proposals for the club to join a European Super League.
Fans had been trying to remove Bartomeu, who became president in 2014 and had fallen out with Lionel Messi.

More than 20,000 club members signed a motion to remove him.


www.bbc.com

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigns

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigns but says he has accepted proposals for the club to join a European Super League.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com



the other one

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Manchester United will use "more or less the same squad" as Saturday's 0-0 draw with Chelsea for Wednesday's Champions League visit of Leipzig, said boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Strikers Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford and midfielder Bruno Fernandes are available.
"There are a couple of doubts and knocks," said Solskjaer.

Cavani, who signed for United on transfer deadline day, made his first appearance for Solskjaer's side against Chelsea, almost scoring with his first touch of the game.
Anthony Martial, who scored an own goal in United's first group match against PSG, could return.

RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann, 33, guided his team to a Champions League semi-final last season, where they lost to 2020-21 Group H rivals PSG. That 3-0 defeat was their last loss in all competitions.


Alex Telles, who made his debut at left-back against PSG last week, and 22-year-old defender Axel Tuanzebe could feature after impressive performances against the Ligue 1 leaders.

Eric Bailly and Jesse Lingard are the only players who will definitely not feature for Solskjaer's side due to injury.

RB Leipzig, who also won their first Group H match, beating Istanbul Basaksehir 2-0, have never faced Manchester United before.


also

Manchester United modify Old Trafford to hold 23,500 socially distanced fans


Old Trafford

Fans last attended a match at Old Trafford on 8 March

Manchester United have modified Old Trafford to accommodate 23,500 socially distanced spectators, and say they are "bemused" by the ongoing ban on fans at stadiums.
The government had proposed crowds be gradually reintroduced from the start of October but made a U-turn following a rise in coronavirus cases.

www.bbc.com

Manchester United modify Old Trafford to hold 23,500 socially distanced fans

Manchester United have modified Old Trafford to accommodate 23,500 spectators, and say they are "bemused" by the ongoing ban on fans.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
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