Why away goals rule in Man City vs Real Madrid Champions League tie is not being used

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.

It’s the third time in as many years that City will play in the stadium, having lost the infamous 2022 semi-final second leg before earning a 1-1 first-leg draw last year. All 10 times the two clubs have met have come in the Champions League, but this is the first occasion they meet in the quarters.

City have actually won the most games, having triumphed in four and lost three. Both are gunning for their respective domestic titles this season and have to balance European competition with league action.

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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.

Some were critical of the decision to abandon an iconic feature of the Champions League - the away goals rule. This handed the win to the team who had scored the most away goals when the aggregate scores were level after both sets of 90 minutes.

It was initially implemented to encourage away sides in the first leg to attack more, leading to entertaining games. It was also used to limit the number of tie-breakers needed - i.e. extra time and penalties - during a busy part of the season. However, the rule was scrapped in 2021.

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