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In response to requests from several readers, here is
an explanation of the rules which UEFA use to determine
the placing of teams with the same number of points.
We're all used now to the idea that if 2 teams are level
on points, you look first at the head-to-head matches between the teams, and answer the question "who would have won this
if it were a 2-legged knockout stage match?").
But a few people have pointed out that if 3 teams were involved in a tie, looking at the head-to-heads like this could result in a "loop", with A beating B, B beating C, and C beating A.
It doesn't work like that. However many teams are level on points, you construct a mini-table from the results between
those teams only. In the case of 2 teams being level, it comes
out the same as the head-to-head. In the case of 3 teams it's
equivalent to removing, from the overall table, all the results against the 4th team. So there can be no loops.
If the teams are still level in this table, then it goes
to overall goal difference and goals scored.
There is a curious oddity though. The UEFA Champs League rules state it thus:
4.06 If two or more teams finish equal on points after all the group
matches have been played, the following criteria are applied to
determine the rankings:
a) Higher number of points obtained in the group matches played
among the teams in question.
b) Superior goal difference from the group matches played among
the teams in question.
c) Higher number of goals scored away from home in the group
matches played among the teams in question.
d) Superior goal difference from all group matches played.
e) Higher number of goals scored.
f) Coefficient points accumulated by the club in question,
as well as its association, over the previous 5 seasons.
Spot the oddity? Goals scored in the matches between the teams does not matter, it goes straight from goal difference (b) to away goals (c).
And to make it even odder, when it reverts to overall stats,
goals scored (e) comes after goals difference (d) but the
number of away goals scored doesn't come into it at all.
Trust UEFA. They've probably worked out that this gives the bigger clubs an edge! ;-)
Note that if all else is equal, it goes on the rankings at the start of the season. Which is good for us in the current group
as we rank top in the group. But it's unlikely to come to that.
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