Eyebrows were raised when UEFA unveiled their new formats for their Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League competitions. The ‘Swiss Model’, which from this season has seen the group stage scrapped for a league system, has represented a massive change to the status quo which some still aren’t sure about.
Others love it, however, praising a model which sees teams play certain teams at home and others away, without return legs. Among those is Owen Hargreaves, who won the Champions League twice as a player, with Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
Owen Hargreaves: "Teams are using home advantage to pull of impressive results"
“The Champions League this season has been really crazy and I think the new format has played a key role in that,” says Hargreaves, speaking on behalf of TNT Sports to promote watching live sport in pubs. “Teams are using home advantage to pull off some impressive results against the big guns – just look at Feyenoord against Bayern in the last round. They know they don’t have to go away to the Allianz Arena as well, so they can put everything into that home match and they pulled it off.”
Hargreaves believes nothing can rival football when it comes to getting fans into pubs. "This campaign is important,” he tells FourFourTwo. “My brothers had pubs in Canada. This time of year, sports can be huge for the industry as there is often a post-Christmas slump in the sector. Thankfully, sports give people a reason to get out of the house and get together with friends down the pub.
“There’s always a temptation just to stay in and watch games, especially given people have access to matches on the telly, but there’s nothing quite like watching a game of football down the pub with friends.
“Especially with the great food and atmospheres on offer down most locals. I’d probably say sports is one of the last things left that people still come together to watch live in this day and age and these Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League campaigns, with the drama they’ve served up, are a great excuse. It’s been crazy good so far.”
Owen Hargreaves was speaking on behalf of TNT Sports about enjoying UEFA Champions League midweek football in your local pub. To find out where you can watch visit https://www.tntsports.co.uk/pubfinder/ or to find out more about a TNT Sports commercial subscription, go to https://www.tntsportsbusiness.co.uk/
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