According to reports, UEFA is reviewing seeding rules for next season’s European competitions following criticism that Arsenal, despite finishing higher than Real Madrid in the group stage, had to play the second leg of the quarter-finals away.

The current rules of the redesigned competition mean that teams ranked in the top eight are only guaranteed a home second leg in the round of 16. For the quarter-finals and semi-finals, home advantage in the second leg is determined by a random draw, meaning Arsenal will not have a home second leg in the later stages of the tournament.

This issue forced Arsenal, who finished third in the 36-team Champions League standings, to play their quarter-final second leg against defending champions Real Madrid (who finished 11th) at the Bernabéu. Last season, Arsenal were eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing the away second leg against Bayern Munich.

There are strong beliefs that the current seeding system does not sufficiently reward clubs that perform well in the league stage. The Daily Mail claims UEFA officials are considering discussing potential changes for next season.

Officials have previously rejected requests to scrap extra time in knockout stages, a proposal made amid growing concerns about player fitness in a congested calendar, as there are fears such a change could lead to more defensive and boring football.

UEFA’s Club Competitions Committee discussed a proposal to amend the rules but decided against sending knockout matches directly to penalties after a 90-minute draw. They believed weaker teams might focus on securing a draw to reach penalties rather than pushing for a winning goal.

Nearly 60% of Champions League knockout matches that went to extra time after the away goals rule was abolished were decided before penalties, with similar statistics in the Europa League and Europa Conference League.