The away goals rule in the Champions League has long created high tension and drama in European football, with goals scored away from home effectively counting for double.
Home teams in the Champions League knock-out stages have often taken a cautious approach to games, knowing how crucial keeping a clean sheet could be to their hopes of advancing to the next round.
Tottenham famously knocked Manchester City out of the Champions League quarter-final on away goals after an astonishing 4-4 draw on aggregate in April 2019.
And fans have been left wondering if the away goals rule will once again be in use when the Champions League returns after Christmas for the knock-out rounds.
Here are all the important details.
Will away goals count in the Champions League knock-out rounds?
UEFA have scrapped the away goals rule in the qualifiers and knock-out rounds of the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
The rule had been in place since 1965, but was discarded in 2021 ahead of the 2021/22 season.
This means that any tie level on aggregate will now go straight to extra-time, and then penalties if there is still no winner.
Why was the away goals rule scrapped in the Champions League?
Speaking about the decision to abolish the away goals rule, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the move was made to ensure fairness.
Modern travel and advances in player recovery has made away games less arduous, and away wins have almost doubled in occurrence since the 1970s.
Ceferin said: ‘Although there was no unanimity of views, many coaches, fans and other football stakeholders have questioned its fairness and have expressed a preference for the rule to be abolished.
‘The impact of the rule now runs counter to its original purpose as, in fact, 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.
‘There is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored.’
Ceferin added: ‘It is fair to say that home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was.
‘Taking into consideration the consistency across Europe in terms of styles of play, and many different factors which have led to a decline in home advantage, the UEFA Executive Committee has taken the correct decision in adopting the view that it is no longer appropriate for an away goal to carry more weight than one scored at home.’
MORE : Champions League group stage: Start date, teams and how to watch on TV
MORE : Europa League group stage 2022/23: start date, teams and how to watch on TV
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