SuperSport viewers on DStv and GOtv can enjoy the return of the UEFA Champions League, with the competition resuming from Friday 7 August 2020 and cramming a total of 11 top-tier matches into just over two weeks to provide a true feast of football at the end of the 2019-20 season.
World events saw the Champions League suspended back in March, with only half of the last 16 ties having been completed. The return of football across Europe has enabled UEFA to lay out a plan to complete the tournament – albeit in a reduced format.
The competition will resume on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August, with the second legs of the incomplete last 16 ties. This sees Manchester City host Real Madrid with a 2-1 lead; Bayern Munich hold a 3-0 advantage ahead of welcoming Chelsea to the Allianz Arena; Juventus will be looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit at home to Olympique Lyon; and Barcelona will host Napoli, with the tie locked at 1-1.
The four aggregate winners will then join already-qualified RB Leipzig, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta and Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals. From this stage of the competition, all ties will be decided in a single-game knockout (ditching the traditional two-legged format) and all matches will be played in Lisbon, Portugal – either at Estadio da Luz (the home of Benfica) or Estadio Jose Alvalade (the home of Sporting Clube de Portugal).
The Champions League quarterfinals will be played from 12 to 15 August, the semifinals on 18 and 19 August, while the final will be staged at Estadio da Luz on Sunday 23 August.
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A draw has already been conducted, laying out teams’ potential paths to glory. The top half of the draw sees RB Leipzig face Atletico Madrid in one quarterfinal, and the winner will meet either Atalanta or Paris Saint-Germain in the semis.
The bottom half of the draw has paired together the winners of the Man City v Real Madrid tie with either Lyon or Juventus, while the winners of the Barcelona v Napoli tie will likely come up against Bayern Munich (who will be confident of progressing beyond Chelsea thanks to their 3-0 win in the first leg in London way back in February).
