Why does Atlético play the second leg at home against Barça if it was worse in the league phase?

The thriller of the classification: the culé doubt

There’s a query that retains working by means of the minds of many Barcelona followers in latest days. And it is regular. If we take a look at the desk for the league section of this Champions League, the numbers are clear: Barça completed in fifth place, whereas Atlético de Madrid completed fourteenth, having to sweat within the playoff towards Bruges. So, if the Blaugrana workforce was significantly better, why is the decisive second leg of the quarterfinals going to be performed on the Riyadh Air Metropolitano and never on the Camp Nou?

The reply is so simple as it’s good, and reveals that UEFA has acquired it fully proper with the foundations of this new format launched within the 2024-25 season (sure, the identical 12 months during which PSG lifted the ‘Orejona’ after being fifteenth).

The artwork of ‘stealing’ the place in Europe

The brand new everlasting draw of the Champions League has an unwritten rule that rewards large killers: in case you remove a seed, you retain their privileges. The highest eight finishers within the league saved a spherical and had been assured to play the spherical of 16 second leg at residence. However, from then on, the desk rewards whoever wins on the grass.

The case of Barça: The culés, fifth, eradicated Newcastle (twelfth) enjoying the second leg of their stadium.

The red-and-white ‘theft’: Atleti confronted Tottenham, who had been the model new fourth-placed workforce within the league. After a loopy tie during which Simeone’s males beat the Spurs in London 7-5 on mixture, the purple and white workforce robotically inherited that fourth place from Tottenham.

Subsequently, for draw functions for these quarterfinals, Atlético is quantity 4 and Barcelona is quantity 5. Consequence: the second leg is performed in our fiefdom. By the way in which, if Actual Madrid (which crosses with Bayern, 2nd) eliminates the Germans and inherits its place with the return residence in a hypothetical semifinals and absolutely nobody will ask so many questions.

A heart-stopping calendar and the ghost of the previous

The Metropolitan issue is just not a minor concern. It occurred on the opposite two events during which we met Barça within the Champions League: we went by means of the heat of our individuals. We did it in 2014 (1-0 with that nice purpose from Koke after the 1-1 within the first leg) and in 2016 (2-0 with a double from Griezmann to beat the 2-1 on the Camp Nou). And we do not have to go that far: within the latest Copa del Rey semi-finals, the 4-0 at handmade the culé’s try at a comeback (3-0) in Barcelona ineffective.

Now, this European duel is a part of a merely wild stretch of calendar for Cholo’s workforce:

League derby towards Actual Madrid on the Bernabeu

Choice break.

League match towards Barça on the Metropolitano

First leg of the Champions League towards Barça on the Camp Nou

Go to to Sánchez Pizjuán.

Return of the Champions League on the Metropolitano.

Subsequent to nothing. And after that marathon… the ultimate fruits with solely 4 days of margin to arrange for the grand ultimate of the Copa del Rey in La Cartuja towards a Actual Sociedad that may arrive with a complete week of relaxation.

However as Simeone would say, sport by sport. Now it is time to blow up the Metropolitano to place this workforce among the many 4 greatest in Europe.