Everything you need to know about the Champions League return
The best of European football is not far from starting again.
The Champions League prepares its return. / Photo: Pixabay
LatinamericanPost | Juan Manuel Londoño
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Leer en español: Todo sobre el regreso de la Champions
We all know why the Champions League is paralyzed, but the real question is: when will it return?
After being suspended indefinitely in March, it seems that August is the definitive date for this tournament return.
Thus, UEFA has clarified that this time things will be a little different. The semifinal games, for example, will be played with a single victory, instead of the traditional 2.
There are four round of 16 matches still to be played: Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea, Juventus vs. Lyon and Barcelona vs. Napoli. These will be held on August 7 and 8.
The teams that have already qualified for the quarterfinals are PSG, Atlético de Madrid, Atalanta, and RB Leipzig.
The finals, for now, will be played at the Olympic Stadium Atatürk in Istanbul.
The #UCL quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be played as a straight knockout tournament in Lisbon between 12 and 23 August 2020. All these ties will be single-leg fixtures.
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— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 17, 2020
The big three favorites this time are Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and PSG. The specialized site FiveThirtyEight predicts that Munich has a 26% probability of winning the final, City a 24%, and PSG a 13%. It should also be noted that the same site gives Munich a 42% probability of reaching the final.
Also read: Five reasons to admire Sergio Ramos
Among the players to watch is Robert Lewandowski, who leads the league in goals with 11. The Pole also led the Bundesliga this season in goals with 34.
Portugal seems ready to be the host country for this cup since the Prime Minister mentioned that "all measures have been taken to be able to conduct this tournament in a healthy and safe manner." At first, it was hoped that fans could attend some of the matches but the current situation makes this impossible.
It should be noted that all dates, for now, are subject to the whims of the coronavirus.
