Informational/Did You Know

Ah, the Champions League. A bastion of European Football and a staple of any footy fan’s season. There’s certainly a lot to love about the competition: goals, matchups, drama and more — but mostly the goals. Something characteristic of European competitions, both the Champions League and the Europa League, is the scoring. The away goals rule is important because it prevents tie-breakers and can change the mentality of how teams play. Here’s how Champions League scoring works.

If you’re an American who’s somewhat befuddled by the simultaneous competitions that seemingly rage endlessly in European soccer — particularly the difference in Champions League vs Premier League — here’s a quick primer to set you straight so that you can enjoy both struggles to the fullest. 

Champions League vs Premier League: Money, Teams And Qualification

The Premier League

With all of the changes in American TV soccer rights in the last few years, it can be daunting to keep track of what is broadcast on what channel, especially when it comes to European midweek matches, which are on in the middle of the workday in the U.S. Sometimes you don’t need to see the full matches or maybe you don’t have time to sit down for 90 minutes during the middle of the day. So this leaves a lot of us wondering: Are Champions League highlights on TV in the U.S.?

In the early days of soccer, your number defined the position you played: number one was a goalkeeper, nine a striker, six a holding midfielder and three a left back. The number 11 was reserved for the left winger as the number was always the last on a lineup list.

In modern soccer, there’s a lot less emphasis on strict numerical positions, and there were some fantastic players who played on the left or elsewhere that made the number 11 their own.