Moscow stages 2008 final

The Luzhniki stadium in Moscow

The Luzhniki Sadium in Moscow will host the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League final on Wednesday 21 May.

The Luzhniki stadium, formerly known as the Grand Arena of the Central Lenin stadium, was inaugurated in 1956. Owned by FC Torpedo Moskva, it is the biggest sports arena in Russia with 84,745 covered seats. The capacity reached 103,000 when the Luzhniki sports complex staged the Olympic Games in 1980, but was reduced following renovation work between 1995 and 1997.

It is one of few major European stadiums to use an artificial pitch, having installed the UEFA-approved FieldTurf surface in 2002 to withstand the effects of the freezing winters, although a new natural grass pitch will be laid for the final. Luzhniki held the 1999 UEFA Cup final between Parma FC and Olympique de Marseille, and last week hosted the first UEFA Champions League match on artificial turf, between FC Spartak Moskva and Sporting Clube de Portugal.

The UEFA Champions League comprises of three qualifying rounds, a group stage, and four knockout rounds.

Qualifying
In matches in the three qualifying rounds, clubs play two matches against each other on a home and away basis, with the club scoring the greater aggregate of goals qualifying for the next round. In the event of both teams scoring the same number of goals, the team which scores more goals away qualifies.

Group stage
The 16 winners of the third qualifying round ties join a similar number of automatic entrants in the 32-team group stage. The clubs are split into eight groups of four teams, who play home and away against each of their pool opponents between September and December to decide which two teams from each pool advance to the first knockout round. The third-place finishers in each pool enter the UEFA Cup Round of 32.

Knockout phase
From the last 16 until the semi-finals, clubs play two matches against each other on a home and away basis with the same rules as the qualifying rounds applied. In the last 16, group winners play runners-up other than teams from their own pool or nation, while from the quarter-finals on the draw is free.

Knockout
The final is decided by a single match - which this year will be played in Moscow.