SM
Spurs vs. Arsenal: 17 hrs 38 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
BL
La Liga | Gameweek 31
Apr 6, 2019 at 7.45pm UK
 
AM

2-0

Suarez (85'), Messi (87')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Why history suggests City have dented Manchester United's Champions League hopes

:Headline: Why history suggests City have dented Manchester United's Champions League hopes: ID:355629: from db_amp
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side must play the home leg of their tie against Barcelona first, which history suggests is a disadvantage.

Manchester United may live to regret the two legs of their Champions League quarter-final with Barcelona being reversed if the history books are anything to go by.

United were drawn against the five-times winners in the last eight and were originally supposed to play the second leg at Old Trafford after visiting the Nou Camp first.

But as Manchester City, who have a higher UEFA ranking, were also drawn at home second against Tottenham, United's tie was switched and they must now host Barcelona first.

How the record looks for those teams playing at home second (PA Graphic)
And that could be a problem for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side as it has been shown to be an advantage to play the second leg on your own ground.

Since the Champions League adopted its current format in 2003-04, 62 per cent of teams advancing from the quarter-finals were at home in the second leg.

United have taken advantage of the Old Trafford factor on three out of the four occasions they have played the second leg of last-eight ties there.

In 2006-07 they overturned a first-leg deficit against Roma by thumping the Italians 7-1, while the following season they were able to get the job done against the same opponents after bringing back a slender lead.

Patrice Evra celebrates scoring against Roma with Cristiano Ronaldo in April 2007 (Martin Rickett/PA)

In 2010-11, they protected a 1-0 first-leg win at Chelsea with a 2-1 success at Old Trafford.

The only time they have been at home second in this round and not qualified was in the 2009-10 season when they lost on away goals to Bayern Munich, despite winning in front of their home fans.

Solskjaer's men will be channelling the last round, when they beat Paris St Germain despite a first-leg defeat at home, and also the 2008-09 season when they advanced past Porto despite having to play there in the second match.

To make matters worse, Barcelona have a formidable record in quarter-finals when they play the second leg at the Nou Camp.

Manchester United beat Barcelona in the 2008 having been away first (Martin Rickett/PA)

They have progressed six out of seven times, with the defeat to Juventus in 2016-17 their only blemish.

United's potential suffering is City's gain, though they have progressed in just one of their previous two quarter-finals, against PSG in 2016-17.

Tottenham will be hoping their brilliant new stadium will help give them a significant first-leg advantage to take to City as they try to buck the trend.

Their only previous quarter-final ended in a comprehensive defeat to Real Madrid, having had to play the second leg at the Bernabeu.

Liverpool are also away in their second leg against Porto, but they will fancy their chances of going against the grain.

Both in 2005 and 2018 on their way to the Champions League final they progressed through the quarter-finals despite playing their first leg at home.

They got the better of Juventus after a 2-1 win at Anfield in the first game while a 3-0 hammering of Manchester City was enough to see them through last season.

The overall record in all knockout rounds – the round of 16, the quarter-finals and the semi-finals – strengthens the theory that it is an advantage to be at home in the second leg, with 63 per cent of the winners having had that luxury.

That is, of course, weighted by the fact that in the round of 16, teams who top the group are ensured a second leg at home against a second-placed opponent from another group.

Therefore, in theory, stronger teams play at home last and would be expected to advance – and more than 70 per cent have done so.

The semi-finals provide an interesting exception to the overall trend, with only 37 per cent of teams with a second leg at home progressing.

amp_article__355629 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-04-08 08:52:50:
html db last update - 2021-03-10 03:17:49 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
11Bournemouth34129134960-1145
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .