The two French clubs still in the running in the Champions League will meet on Tuesday March 8 for the round of 16 second leg. Paris Saint-Germain will go to Madrid on Wednesday 9 while Lille will host Chelsea on Wednesday 16.
Beginning of the knockout stages of the Champions League the two French clubs still in the race, Paris Saint-Germain and Lille. After winning 1-0 in the first leg, the Parisians travel to the Spanish capital on Wednesday March 9 to face Real Madrid. If Kylian Mbappé’s teammates were superior to Madrid in the first leg, midfielder Toni Kroos remains hopeful for qualification in the quarter-finals: “I think it’s safe to say that we were less good for at least 75 minutes. We played very badly behind and, when we managed to get out, we couldn’t keep the ball for more than five seconds. That’s why we considered the 0-0 draw a victory. It’s a result that can be transformed, especially at home. We have high hopes for the second leg. We still have 90 minutes and, of course, we will give our all.”
After losing 2-0 to Chelsea in the first leg, qualification seems complicated for Lille. But José Fonte and his teammates will be able to count on their audience on Wednesday March 16 during the knockout stages of the Champions League. To see if the players of Chelsea are not disturbed by the sale of the club by the Russian owner Roman Abramovich, put under pressure by the British government since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. On the Lille side, Jocelyn Gourvennec still believes in the qualifications of his players: “Chelsea will always be a big team. But in football, a lot of things happen sometimes. The objective is to play a strong, solid match, giving little. It will be difficult but in front of our public, in a full stadium. , we don’t know. Even if it’s 0-2, we will have possibilities at home. We can do like them: score first from a corner. We had one before them. We have to believe in our chances even if the opponent is of very high quality, we will prepare well.”
The group stage of the Football Champions League is played from Tuesday September 14, 2021 to Wednesday December 8, 2021 while the knockout stage will be played from Tuesday February 15, 2022 to Wednesday May 4, 2022. As for the final, it is scheduled for Saturday, May 28, 2021 at Saint Petersburg Stadium, Russia. The calendar was then drawn up as follows by UEFA:
- Group stage
- September 14 and 15
- September 28 and 29
- October 19 and 20
- November 2 and 3
- November 23 and 24
- December 7 and 8
- Knockout stage
- Round of 16
- February 15 and 16 (one way)
- February 22 and 23 (return)
- Quarter-finals
- April 5 and 6 (one way)
- April 12 and 13 (return)
- Semi-finals
- April 26 and 27 (one way)
- May 3 and 4 (return)
- Final
- Saturday May 28, 2022
The TV rights battle continued to rage for this new 2021/2022 season. UEFA has awarded the French TV rights for the “Big Ears Cup” to beIN Sports and Canal+, which thus ensure the broadcasting of the 2021-2022 Champions League. RMC Sport will co-broadcast with Canal the two best Champions League posters until 2024 and beIN SPORTS will offer all the remaining matches. TF1 will broadcast the final scheduled for May 28, 2022.