diff --git a/packages/router/src/recognize.ts b/packages/router/src/recognize.ts
index 58cc5a7e27..6c3f8b327f 100644
--- a/packages/router/src/recognize.ts
+++ b/packages/router/src/recognize.ts
@@ -70,14 +70,6 @@ class Recognizer {
   processSegmentGroup(config: Route[], segmentGroup: UrlSegmentGroup, outlet: string):
       TreeNode<ActivatedRouteSnapshot>[] {
     if (segmentGroup.segments.length === 0 && segmentGroup.hasChildren()) {
-      const empties = config.filter(r => emptyPathMatch(segmentGroup, segmentGroup.segments, r));
-      if (empties.length !== 0) {
-        try {
-          return this.processSegment(empties, segmentGroup, segmentGroup.segments, outlet);
-        } catch (e) {
-          if (!(e instanceof NoMatch)) throw e;
-        }
-      }
       return this.processChildren(config, segmentGroup);
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts b/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts
index 827a8e5030..0494f2fe66 100644
--- a/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts
@@ -263,20 +263,6 @@ describe('recognize', () => {
         });
       });
 
-      it('should work with children outlets', () => {
-        checkRecognize(
-            [{
-              path: '',
-              component: ComponentA,
-              children: [{path: 'b', outlet: 'b', component: ComponentB}]
-            }],
-            '(b:b)', (s: RouterStateSnapshot) => {
-              checkActivatedRoute((s as any).firstChild(s.root) !, '', {}, ComponentA);
-              checkActivatedRoute(
-                  (s as any).firstChild((s as any).firstChild(s.root)) !, 'b', {}, ComponentB, 'b');
-            });
-      });
-
       it('should match when terminal', () => {
         checkRecognize(
             [{path: '', pathMatch: 'full', component: ComponentA}], '',