A very central aspect that applies to bets on the Champions League knockout phase as well as to the Europa League knockout matches is the way in which progress is decided here. So let’s first look at the key facts about the Champions League knockout phase and use these for your next round for online bandy betting.
To determine which team advances to the next round, the results of the home and away matches are offset against each other. If a team wins both games, the situation is of course quite clear. Win and draw are also a crystal clear affair. However, in the event of a win and a loss, goal difference must be taken into account for the first time. For example, if Team A won 4-0 at home but lost 1-0 away, the score is 4-1 in Team A’s favor after the two legs. So this is also clear. It only becomes somewhat complicated if both games end with the same difference. This is the case, for example, if the first leg ends 3-1 and the second leg 2-0. The goal difference here would be 3:3. In this case, the winner would still be clearly determined, because in this example one team scored the away goal, which is counted twice in the event of a tie. The team that won 3-1 at home and lost 2-0 away is therefore eliminated from the competition.
Incidentally, the same calculation also applies to two matches that both end in draws. For example, if the first leg ends in a goalless draw and the second leg ends in a 3-3 draw, the goal difference is 3-3. Even now, the team that scored the three away goals will reach the next round.
But what if both games end exactly the same? For example, 3:1 and 1:3. Or 1:1 and 1:1? Then looking at the away goals won’t help and extra time is needed to determine a winner in two 15-minute periods. If one of the two teams scores a goal here, the match will be decided 100% in extra time, since from then on the two results can no longer remain identical, even if Team B scores the equalizer. Then the goal difference would be a draw again, but logically Team B must have scored more away goals, which in turn would lead to victory in the head-to-head comparison. Only if those 30 minutes of overtime end in a goalless draw will a Champions League knockout phase actually decide who advances a round by penalty shootout. Something that is comparatively rare between the round of 16 and the semi-finals because of these conditions.
As an important lesson from these key facts, we learn three things:
- In the first leg, a home team is always interested in avoiding conceding a goal first and foremost.
- The away team often takes a more attacking approach in the first leg, as a goalless draw is an unfortunate result for the return leg. If your opponent then scores a goal, you need two goals yourself. Because this is a similar starting point to a 0-1 or 1-2 defeat in the first leg, the away team is more likely to accept a 1-1 or 1-2 defeat than to force a clean sheet.
- The way in which a return match should be typed always depends 100% on the starting position, which plays a greater role in the analysis than in almost any other betting option, wherever other factors are decisive for the prediction.
Another important key fact also applies to the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. This is clearly laid down in its structure. It should be noted that the eight group winners of the preliminary round will each be drawn against a group runner-up, whereby pairings that already existed in the group stage are excluded, as are pairings between two teams from the same country. It is also stipulated that in the round of 16, the runners-up must first play at home and the return match will then take place at the stadium of the group winners. The assumption behind it is: It is a disadvantage to have to play at home first. But we want to take a closer look at whether this is actually the case for you in the following point.
