The teams involved in this edition of the Champions League can practically "steal" home field advantage if they manage to defeat a higher-ranked opponent, who enjoys the advantage of a return leg in the later stages of the competition.
Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City have qualified directly for the round of 16 after finishing the league stage in the top eight.
Meanwhile, the teams that finished ninth to 24th in the league stage have qualified for the Champions League play-off draw, which took place on Friday morning in Switzerland.
For those who are unaware, league stage positions have taken on much more importance this season, as UEFA has changed the home advantage rules, stipulating that the team ranked higher in the league stage will always play the second leg at home.
Exactly like this: The teams that ranked first and second in the league stage will play all the rounds in a direct elimination format, playing the return match at home, while the teams that ranked third and fourth will have the home field advantage in the round of 16 and quarterfinals.
However, this home field advantage can be effectively "stolen".
As noted in a newspaper report AS, if a lower-ranked team eliminates a higher-ranked opponent, it will inherit that favored position for subsequent rounds, meaning that progression in the tournament can override the league stage hierarchy.
"For example, if the team ranked 16th eliminates the team that finished second in the round of 16, the team ranked 16th takes second place in the standings for the remainder of the tournament and earns the right to play the return matches at home," the report said.
As stipulated in section 19.04 of the UEFA Champions League Regulations, teams may inherit a ranking position for subsequent rounds if they eliminate a higher-ranked opponent.Telegrafi/
