Champions League draw.... new format

[Yozza]

How does Champions League draw work?

The new-look Champions League draw will be held on Thursday from 17:00 BST

Teams will discover which eight clubs they will meet (four at home and four away) - but no actual groups will be drawn.

All the teams will be in one 36-team league phase, as compared to the past format of eight four-team groups.

So how will the draw work?

Teams will be placed in four pots according to their seeding. Each team face two teams from each pot, one at home and one away.

A team will be drawn out of a pot and then Uefa's software will decide their eight opponents - and whether they will be at home or away.

It means more matches between the biggest teams. For example, Manchester City could face Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

The software stops teams playing rivals from their own country - and means each team can only play two clubs from any one country.

Uefa says the computer system plans ahead so will ensure no teams further down the line get drawn against teams they cannot face.


How does the new Champions League format work?



Teams who finish in the top eight will qualify automatically for the last 16, while those who place ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off for the chance to join them.

Whoever finishes 25th or lower will be eliminated and will not be entered into the Europa League.

From the last 16 onwards, the Champions League will continue to follow its existing format with the final taking place at a neutral venue - Munich this year.

The number of matches in the new format will increase from 125 to 189.

Each team will play a minimum of eight - instead of six - and a maximum of 17.

The league phase will now run until the end of January instead of ending before Christmas.



It's a bloody mess; more games, more money for UEFA

[Doc_Piptorious]

It's an utter joke.

Extra games with at least two more in the group/league stage and an extra four games in total in that stage if you finish in the bottom half of the table.


The removing of playing each team home and away straight away creates the potential for a lot of teams to gain a big advantage if they played their tough games at home and their easy ones away and a massive disadvantage if you get the opposite.


The seeding system is pointless now as well if you have to face two top seeds anyway.

Only point now of the seeding system is to guarantee more big matches in the group stage.


Nothing at all now other than a money making exercise. Is pretty much a very of the Super league by stealth. Plus I imagine is only a matter of time before some of the group stage games get played outside of Europe.


Really makes one wish for the old European cup format.

[Buzzo]

The format did need an overhaul. One that people could understand might have been a decent starting point!

[Doc_Piptorious]

The format did need an overhaul. One that people could understand might have been a decent starting point!

There is a decent overhaul and then there is a blatant cash grab.


Think they will kill a lot of the excitement too with this new format.

Say we stay eight in the group stage the entire way through it. That's good enough for automatic qualification for the knock out stages but really how easy will it get to be excited about sitting in mid table in the group stages for the duration of the group stage.

Then you know that if you finish in the next 16 teams below the automatic qualifiers you still have a chance of making it through.


Suspect there will be a lot of game fatigue coming as a result of the new format and I do not mean that in terms of the players suffering from fatigue from having more games (which will be a thing no doubt) but rather for the fans from the oversaturation.

[Buzzo]

Yeah 8 group games is a lot for sure. There’s just way too much footy now a days.

And it will stretch squads. I guess that’s where having 6 elite forwards comes into play

[BigChief]

Yeah 8 group games is a lot for sure. There’s just way too much footy now a days.

And it will stretch squads. I guess that’s where having 6 elite forwards comes into play

We have such a large (quality) squad that we need as many games as possible. It's likely we could be knocked out by West Ham in the Baby Cup so will cut off avenues for the likes of Q, Jones, Elliott, Nunez, etc.

Could do with buying a CB, or keeping Gomez.

[Doc_Piptorious]

We have such a large (quality) squad that we need as many games as possible. It's likely we could be knocked out by West Ham in the Baby Cup so will cut off avenues for the likes of Q, Jones, Elliott, Nunez, etc.

Could do with buying a CB, or keeping Gomez.

The flip side of that is with the new CL format the chances of getting a weak group is more or less wiped out as we will have to face two pot 1 teams and two pot 2 teams regardless.

Even some of the pot 3 teams will be handy enough.

So you are going to get at least four tough games in the group stage with the potential for six of the eight being tough and that is before you take into account that all your tough ones could be away from home so less scope for playing younger teams against the weaker teams as points against the pot 4 teams will be more important than ever with this set up.

[BigChief]

The flip side of that is with the new CL format the chances of getting a weak group is more or less wiped out as we will have to face two pot 1 teams and two pot 2 teams regardless.

Even some of the pot 3 teams will be handy enough.

So you are going to get at least four tough games in the group stage with the potential for six of the eight being tough and that is before you take into account that all your tough ones could be away from home so less scope for playing younger teams against the weaker teams as points against the pot 4 teams will be more important than ever with this set up.

Agreed, but this format will be a larger strain on smaller squads. So the pot 2 teams and even pot 3 will be facing their own resourcing challenges. Plus qualifying from this is actually easier as only the absolute crappest teams will get knocked out first.

I wouldn't say Jones, Elliot, even Q, are 'younger' in the sense of inexperienced. They've all played tougher football than many older first teamers in other countries.

[Exiled_red]

It's an utter joke.

Extra games with at least two more in the group/league stage and an extra four games in total in that stage if you finish in the bottom half of the table.


The removing of playing each team home and away straight away creates the potential for a lot of teams to gain a big advantage if they played their tough games at home and their easy ones away and a massive disadvantage if you get the opposite.


The seeding system is pointless now as well if you have to face two top seeds anyway.

Only point now of the seeding system is to guarantee more big matches in the group stage.


Nothing at all now other than a money making exercise. Is pretty much a very of the Super league by stealth. Plus I imagine is only a matter of time before some of the group stage games get played outside of Europe.


Really makes one wish for the old European cup format.

That plus the fact you are competing against teams that you don't play against, teams with an easier set of fixtures (what would have previously been an easy group) will have a massive advantage also .

I agree the old pure knockout format of the European Cup would be better in my view but this makes UEFA alot more money which is all this is really about.

[dom9]

There is a decent overhaul and then there is a blatant cash grab.


Think they will kill a lot of the excitement too with this new format.

Say we stay eight in the group stage the entire way through it. That's good enough for automatic qualification for the knock out stages but really how easy will it get to be excited about sitting in mid table in the group stages for the duration of the group stage.

Then you know that if you finish in the next 16 teams below the automatic qualifiers you still have a chance of making it through.


Suspect there will be a lot of game fatigue coming as a result of the new format and I do not mean that in terms of the players suffering from fatigue from having more games (which will be a thing no doubt) but rather for the fans from the oversaturation.

The cash grab is to appease the clubs, right? It's another way for the clubs take more money, and to try and head off the breakaway super league threat.

[Doc_Piptorious]

The cash grab is to appease the clubs, right? It's another way for the clubs take more money, and to try and head off the breakaway super league threat.

Whilst I am sure the making of more money suits clubs, I imagine far great amounts will find it's way into the pockets of the governing body.

Am convinced that within a few years each team will play one of it's eight games outside of Europe and/or a way will be found to let a Saudi and/or Qatari team enter the competition.

[dom9]

I don't think UEFA really makes any meaningful amounts of cash as an entity tbh.

Unlike Fifa, who have their hands in the till at every opportunity.

[ChesterDave]

Can someone shut her up to get on with the draw

[rudedog]

Draw is on TNT YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/live/QWkVqLmLOaQ

[ChesterDave]

A computer doing stuff is ripe for allegations of wiffyness. And deciding behind closed doors the order is going to see accusations of expected blockbuster games in the last fixture or two