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The end of the 2019-2020 Football Champions League takes place exceptionally from August 12 to 23 in Lisbon. In Portugal, the quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals will be played in the form of single matches, because of the coronavirus crisis.
Will this new formula be a success ?
Eight teams gathered in a single city. Seven matches played in two stadiums only. No return matches for the quarter and semi-finals. Possible extra time and penalties. A “Final 8” organized in the space of 12 short days.
The European Football Confederation (UEFA) has opted for a very tight formula in order to complete a Champions League (C1) interrupted for five months, because of the coronavirus crisis. We are therefore very far from the usual format, where the quarters, semi-finals and the final are normally spread from the beginning of April to the end of May.
Can this “tournament” be a sporting and popular success? One thing is certain: the public will not benefit from it. Local authorities and UEFA have agreed that there will be no spectators in the stadiums.
What is the health context ?
UEFA has had a few cold sweats in recent days. Two members of Atletico Madrid have indeed tested positive for Covid-19 on August 9. Since then, no other case has been detected. The meeting between the Spanish club and RB Leipzig will therefore be played, as planned, on August 13.
But the tension is maximum around an event that has been maintained, despite a precarious health context. Drastic measures have been taken around the teams, all gathered in Portugal. And for good reason: an upsurge in Covid-19 has been observed in several areas of the Lisbon region. Restrictions have been imposed in certain parts of the capital and its surroundings.
So far, the organizers of the European Football Club Cup have ruled out outright cancellation of their highly lucrative Champions League. But what will happen if the “health bubble” that has been put in place bursts?
Can there be surprises, on the ground ?
UEFA obviously hopes to see surprises on the lawns, rather than behind the scenes. This formula without a second leg and on neutral ground is, it is true, rather conducive to unpredictable results. As footballers so often repeat, “in a match, anything is possible”.
After all, you only need to win three matches in less than two weeks to be European champion. That’s what Atlanta Bergamo (Italy), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Manchester City (England), Olympique Lyonnais (France), Paris Saint-Germain (France), RB Leipzig ( Germany). These six clubs have never won the C1, unlike FC Barcelona (Spain) and Bayern Munich (Germany), favorite of this 2019-2020 edition. Some have never even won a European Cup or played in a continental final, like Atalanta, Leipzig or Lyon. Jean-Michel Aulas, the Lyon president, felt that his club had ” one in a million chance »To lift the trophy in Lisbon on August 23.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE : THE FINAL 8 * PROGRAM
All meetings will take place in Lisbon at 7 p.m. UT
Quarter-finals –
Wednesday August 12 : Atalanta Bergame – Paris SG
Thursday August 13 : Leipzig – Atlético Madrid
Friday August 14 : Barcelone – Bayern Munich
Saturday August 15th : Manchester City – Lyon
Semi-finals –
Tuesday August 18 : Leipzig or Atletico – Atalanta or PSG
Wednesday August 19 : City or Lyon – Barça or Bayern
Finale –
Sunday 23 August
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