An injury-hit Manchester City will be hoping to earn a positive result at the Bernabeu in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg clash with Real Madrid.
Next season’s one-table format means the busy schedule will run throughout the whole campaign, with 10 group games being played by each team. Many are sceptical about the changes, with some already unhappy that one former competition rule was scrapped. Why was the away goals rule scrapped? UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin said that the rule had merely shifted the emphasis onto the away team, with the home side now being the ones to think more defensively. He said: “It now dissuades home teams - especially in first legs - from attacking, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage."
Criticisms of the rule change Some felt as though away goals added more drama and intrigue to the contest and that the aforementioned extra-time advantage could have been wiped out by waiving the rule once both sets of 90 were completed.