UEFA consider changing controversial rule for European competitions next season

UEFA will consider changing the seed tiles for next season's European competitions in the midst of criticism that Arsenal will play the second stage of their huge quarterfinals of the Champions League against Real Madrid, away from home, despite the fact that they end up in the competition table for them.

The current rules of the renewed competitions mean that teams that ended in the top are guaranteed to play the crucial second legs at home in the last 16.

Anyone who would have the advantage of a quarter-final or semi-final of a home was determined by any trekking-with the Gunners without a second stage for the rest of the tournament.

This was forced to Arsenal, who finished third in the 36-team Champions League table, to play their quarter-final second stage against the European Champions Real Madrid, who ended 11th, in the Bernabeu.

Arsenal was dumped out of the competition in the quarterfinals last season after losing the second stage of Bayern Munich.

Fortunately for the side of Mikel Arteta, they will take an advantage of three goals on Wednesday evening in their second stage in Madrid after the heroic deeds of Declan Rice in the Emirates.

However, they will be again confronted with a second stage in the semi-final when they come through to face the winner of Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain.

There is a growing conviction that having the last 16 only the second legs for the last 16th legs does not give enough reward to the clubs that flourished in the competition stage and Mail Sport understands that UEFA leaders will discuss whether they will make a change for the next season.

Bosses have already rejected conversations to delete extra time in the knockout phases, despite the growing concern about the well-being of players in a binded calendar, for fear this can lead to more boring, negative football.

UEFA's Club Competition Committee discussed a proposal to change the rules, but decided not to send knockout matches that were still directly on penalties after 90 minutes.

They believed that weaker teams would spend the final phases of games playing for penalties rather than insisting on a winner.

Almost 60 percent of the Knockout matches of the Champions League that have gone to extra time since the road target was canceled, were decided before the penalties by about half in the Europa League and Conference League.

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