Do away goals count in Champions League this season? Crucial last-16 second legs coming up

This season’s Champions League quarter-final line-up will be confirmed this week following the drama of the last-16 second legs.

The remaining 16 clubs in Europe’s elite competition will battle it out on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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It follows last week’s first leg ties, which saw a total of 32 goals scored across the eight matches.

Those included heavy away defeats for three English clubs as Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City were all left with an uphill task.

However, Spurs and Chelsea were both able to score twice despite losing being beaten heavily by Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively.

Unfortunately for them, though, those away goals will no longer give them a potential advantage on aggregate.

Are away goals being used in this season’s Champions League?

Away goals are once again not in use during the Champions League this season.

The rule was abolished by UEFA from all of their club competitions ahead of the 2021/22 season.

UEFA also removed away goals as a tiebreaker when clubs were level on points during the group stage, now the league phase.

Away goals had been in use for over 40 years after first being introduced by UEFA during the 1960s.

Their introduction came during the 1965/66 edition of the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

That season saw just one tie decided by away goals as Honved knocked out Dukla Prague in the second round.

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Under the rule, away goals had been used as a tiebreaker to decided two-legged matches if the score was level on aggregate after both legs had been played.

The side that had scored the most away goals would advance as the winner of the tie.

Meanwhile, if the clubs had scored the same number of away goals, the match would continue into extra-time or head to penalties.

Away goals would again be used at the end of extra-time if further goals had been scored.

Under the rule, teams could progress without winning either leg if both matches had been drawn with different scorelines.

If still in use, it would mean Spurs and Chelsea would only need to win 3-0 or 4-1 at home this week to advance.

Instead, a three-goal win will only be enough to take their matches to extra-time regardless of the scoreline.

Their ties will be level on aggregate if they were to win the second leg by three goals.