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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
James Quinlan

Do away goals count in Champions League? Round of 16 rules explained

The away goals rule has been the source of endless thrills throughout the Champions League era, resulting in either tears or utter jubilation across the continent.

Barcelona have been involved in the most famous instances of recent memory. Defeating PSG 6-5 on aggregate in 2017 tops the list, following a 4-0 first-leg away loss, seemingly out of the competition, Neymar's poetic performance against his future employers inspired an injury-time winner at Camp Nou.

Then, a year later, taking a 4-1 lead to the Italian capital, the Catalan club were unable to prevent Roma 'rising from their ruins,' as the 'Greek god,' Kostas Manolas, sent the underdogs through to the semi-finals when tying the aggregate scoreline at 4-4.

ALSO READ: Two key' absences confirmed as City announce squad vs Leipzig

For the neutral it is spectacular to witness, but when your team is involved it is an entirely different feeling. You don't have to tell Manchester City supporters - those painful memories of Tottenham Hotspur's last-gasp victory in 2019 still linger as the search drags on for a first Champions League title.

That being said, Pep Guardiola and his men will not have that added pressure when they travel to Leipzig for their Round of 16 first leg match tonight, as the rule synonymous with Europe's elite club competition no longer applies.

You may remember this alteration was made by UEFA ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, as a means of increasing the competitiveness across both legs of a knockout tie.

The governing body felt that goals scored on the opposite team's patch counting for double was handing an advantage to the hosts of the first leg, as they would set up a blockade for 90 minutes in some instances. As a result, the law was abolished, and knockout ties are now decided first and foremost by the result across 180 minutes, then by extra time if no winner is determined, and finally by penalties should they be required.

Simply put, that means that City must outgun their competition en-route to the final. This may have proved an issue in years gone by, but the addition of Erling Haaland may just be the missing piece in the hunt for European glory.

Tonight the Norwegian will seek to add to his five group stage goals against an opponent he notched six against wearing the colours of Borussia Dortmund and ultimately inch his current employers closer to June's final in Istanbul.

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