The UEFA Champions League finals tournament gets underway this week
Eight teams will jostle for glory in Lisbon
Knockout rounds to be played in single-game format
Things have changed throughout the world recently, and football is no exception. The new European champions should have been crowned on 30 May, but the coronavirus outbreak thwarted such plans.
Now, however, the UEFA Champions League has resumed following an enforced break. Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Olympique Lyon and Manchester City all rubberstamped their tickets to the quarter-finals at the weekend, bringing the finals tournament in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon into sharper focus. Over the course of 11 days, a successor to ousted reigning champions Liverpool will be found.
The road to the title
Quarter-finals
12 August: Atalanta - Paris Saint-Germain
13 August: RB Leipzig - Atletico Madrid
14 August: Barcelona - Bayern Munich
15 August: Manchester City - Olympique Lyon
Semi-finals
18 August: Atalanta /Paris Saint-Germain - RB Leipzig/Atletico Madrid
19 August: Barcelona/Bayern - Manchester City/ Lyon
Final
23 August
(All kick-offs at 21:00 local time)
Where will the tournament be played?
The venues for the tournament are Benfica’s Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (also known as the Estadio da Luz), which will host the final, and the Estadio Jose Alvalade from local rivals Sporting.
The story so far
Reigning continental kings Liverpool were knocked out in the last 16 in dramatic circumstances. The Reds lost the first leg 1-0 away to Atleti and fell to a 3-2 defeat on home turf in the second leg, with four of the five goals arriving in extra time.
Record champions Real Madrid and a Juventus side spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo have also been eliminated. The Spanish outfit lost 2-1 both home and away against Manchester City in the last 16, while Juve were surprisingly knocked out by Lyon on away goals following a 1-0 away defeat and 2-1 victory in the second leg at home.
