The UEFA Champions League is again and, as we put together for the second season of the “League Part” format, it is price a refresher of the way it performs out. Some adjustments that had been made had been easy, others had been extra sophisticated, and some would possibly nonetheless appear a little bit of a thriller till we get to the knockout rounds in February although we have already had a style of it. Oh, and there is been a change to the knockouts for this season.
So, what’s the new format? How does the draw work? And what is going to the League Part appear to be?
What’s the new Champions League format?
Let’s begin with the fundamentals. Final season marked the primary time in 21 years that we might had a format change for Europe’s prime membership competitors. For the earlier 21 seasons, 32 groups certified and had been drawn into eight teams of 4. The highest two groups went by means of to the spherical of 16, with third-place dropping into the UEFA Cup/Europa League and fourth-place eradicated from Europe solely.
We now have 36 groups, however they’re not drawn into teams. As an alternative, we’ve got the Champions League “League Part.” All golf equipment are in a single huge league desk.
So, how does it work?
• Groups are drawn to play eight fixtures, 4 at house and 4 away
• Groups in positions 25 to 36 are eradicated in January
• The 16 groups in positions 9 by means of to 24 play within the knockout section playoffs, in February, to earn a spot within the spherical of 16
• The highest eight go straight by means of to the spherical of 16, performed in March
It is not doable to drop into the Europa League from the Champions League (or into the Convention League from the Europa League). When you’re out, you are out.
From the knockout section playoffs onwards, the competitors retains its two-legged format by means of to the semifinals, with a conventional one-legged remaining, however with restricted attracts — extra on that later.
Okay, so how are the fixtures created?
Quite than teams, the Champions League draw on Thursday, Aug. 28 (5 p.m. UK / noon ET) will create particular person eight-game fixture lists for every of the 36 individuals.
Timings
Pot 1 begins: 5.31 p.m. UK / 12.31 p.m. ET
Pot 2 begins: 5.44 p.m. UK / 12.44 p.m. ET
Pot 3 begins: 5.55 p.m. UK / 12.55 p.m. ET
Pot 4 begins: 6.03 p.m. UK / 13.03 p.m. ET
Draw accomplished: 6.08 p.m. UK / 13.08 p.m. ET
Not a lot has modified in how the draw seems on paper, as there are nonetheless 4 pots of groups that include 9 golf equipment quite than eight. However there are nonetheless some notable changes given the expanded discipline.
How seeding modified
Pot 1 used to accommodate the holders of the Champions League and Europa League, plus the champions of the highest six home leagues. Pots 2 by means of 4 would then be ordered by power based mostly on UEFA’s membership coefficient, which ranks golf equipment on efficiency in Europe over the earlier 5 seasons.
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Now solely the Champions League titleholders (Paris Saint-Germain) are robotically in Pot 1, all different positions are based mostly upon the UEFA membership coefficient. That is supposed to present a sliding scale of power down by means of the pots, so groups face two opponents from every bracket.
Nonetheless, the brand new Champions League format means the pot you might be in has much less relevance, as groups are drawn to play two golf equipment from their very own pot. Below the outdated system, being in Pot 1 may offer you a extra beneficiant draw, as you could not play groups from the strongest pot within the group section.
POT 1:
Paris Saint-Germain
Actual Madrid
Manchester Metropolis
Bayern Munich
Liverpool
Internazionale
Chelsea
Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona
POT 2
Arsenal
Bayer Leverkusen
Atlético Madrid
Benfica
Atalanta
Villarreal
Juventus
Eintracht Frankfurt
Membership Brugge
POT 3
Tottenham Hotspur
PSV Eindhoven
Ajax
Napoli
Sporting CP
Olympiacos
Slavia Prague
Bodo/Glimt
Marseille
POT 4
F.C. København
AS Monaco
Galatasaray
Union St.-Gilloise
FK Qarabag
Athletic Membership
Newcastle United
Pafos
Kairat Almaty
There are two primary ideas to the draw this season:
• No membership can play one other crew from their very own league (for instance, Arsenal cannot play Liverpool)
• A membership can play not more than two groups from one nation (so Arsenal if draw Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund they might then be unable to face Eintracht Frankfurt)
And there is a twist. With six Premier League groups within the Champions League, and three of these in Pot 1, UEFA wants to stop a “impasse” state of affairs. What does that imply? Nicely, the draw couldn’t be accomplished inside the above constraints.
In easy phrases: English golf equipment can’t play towards one another so to keep away from a “impasse” with this clause, the non-English golf equipment in Pot 1 should all play two Premier League groups — both from Pot 1, Arsenal, Newcastle United or Tottenham. Make sense?
In impact, it means Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Actual Madrid may get, on paper, a barely tougher set of fixtures. And that is extra so for a crew that faces Arsenal, Tottenham and/or Newcastle plus two non-English groups from Pot 1.
Consider it this manner. If Bayern get to Pot 4 and as much as that time they’ve solely drawn one English crew, they should play Newcastle — when on paper the likes of Pafos and Kairat Almaty can be extra beneficial. And in the event that they had been to additionally draw Athletic Membership, that clearly presents a a lot more durable fixture checklist than others in Pot 1 might get.
Added to that, the three English groups in Pot 1 can’t draw Newcastle, so have the next likelihood of extra beneficial fixtures from Pot 4.
The draw ceremony is noticeably totally different, too. In earlier seasons, the fates of all groups can be determined by a handbook draw, with balls and pots for groups and teams, by a parade of former Champions League gamers. However the brand new format is so sophisticated that it will take over three hours and require 1,296 balls to finish in the identical means.
Here is the way it works:
• A crew is drawn by an ex-player on stage (beginning with Pot 1 and ending with Pot 4)
• A pc randomly selects that membership’s eight opponents (topic to the constraints of the draw), additionally figuring out which match is to be performed house or away
The pots may not be so essential, however they nonetheless have relevance as every accommodates a spread of high quality. The distribution of house and away video games can be essential given the vary of doable opponents for every membership.
Every crew is given fixtures towards two opponents from every pot, and that is the way it would possibly look:
When will the video games be performed?
There’s two matches at 5.45 p.m. UK / 12.45 p.m. ET and the remainder at 8 p.m. UK / 3 p.m. ET. Nonetheless, on the ultimate day of the League Part all 18 matches will start at 8 p.m. UK / 3 p.m. ET.
UEFA has expanded the footprint of the European calendar to cowl 10 midweeks, quite than the six it used to. The Champions League will take up eight matchdays, with the spare two used to present the Europa League and Convention League their very own standalone weeks. Solely the Champions League will play on the week of Sept. 16-18, with the Europa League taking Sept. 24-25 and the Convention League on Dec. 18.
The Champions League League Part now finishes in January, quite than December, with six video games performed earlier than Christmas and the final two rounds on Jan. 20-21 and Jan. 28.
With the brand new format producing a number of Pot 1 fixtures, when in earlier seasons there would not be any in any respect, UEFA will look to create a selection of “marquee” matches throughout the matchdays.
How do the knockout rounds and the bracket work?
UEFA used to carry attracts all through the knockout rounds, however the brand new technique of utilizing the league rating to construct the bracket means simply two are required: one for the knockout section playoffs (Jan. 30), and one other for the spherical of 16 (Feb. 27) to finish the bracket.
There is no such thing as a nation safety, so for example, Liverpool may play Chelsea within the spherical of 16. In previous seasons, nation safety remained in place till the quarterfinals.
The power of groups within the expanded event means some heavyweight groups are more likely to miss out on the highest eight, and that might create some blockbuster ties early within the knockout stage — as we noticed with Liverpool vs. PSG final season.
The primary draw on Jan. 30 creates the knockout-phase playoff fixtures, with every crew ranked 9-24 having two doable opponents. The fixture is locked into one in all two doable bracket positions.
Golf equipment ranked 9-16 play the second leg at house. From this level, the place within the bracket is ready for these groups.
The second draw on Feb. 27 creates the spherical of 16 fixtures, with the groups ranked 1-8 positioned into one in all two doable positions. The entire bracket is now set by means of to the ultimate.
How has UEFA modified house benefit within the knockouts?
Final season, there was an open draw for who would play the second leg at house within the quarterfinals and semifinals.
UEFA has modified this, with the venue of the second leg now based mostly upon advantage from the League Part. Groups ranked 1-4 are assured to be at house second leg within the spherical of 16 and quarterfinals — in the event that they get there. Groups ranked 1-2 are additionally positive of house precedence within the semifinals.
Arsenal had been irritated that they needed to play the second leg of their Champions League semifinal towards Paris Saint-Germain in France final season, although the Gunners had been positioned third within the League Part and PSG completed fifteenth.
Nonetheless, the change to the laws would have been of no profit to Arsenal. As a result of PSG knocked out No. 1-ranked Liverpool within the spherical of 16, the Ligue 1 aspect would have “received” the house precedence off Liverpool together with the tie. So PSG, regardless of being fifteenth, would have been assured a house second leg within the quarterfinals and semifinals.
It implies that if the identical had been to occur subsequent season, Arsenal would nonetheless should play the second leg away. It gives much less incentive to get the next putting inside the highest eight, and offers the possibility for a crew exterior the highest locations to get the precedence seeding.
The rule change would have created a distinct semifinal order for Barcelona (second) vs. Inter Milan (fourth). The Serie A aspect, who reached the ultimate, had been drawn at house final season, however underneath the brand new system Barcelona would robotically have precedence.
UEFA’s resolution to not re-rank every tie based mostly solely upon League Part placings (as a substitute giving precedence to groups who knocked out ranks 1-4) creates an imbalance, a further cut up within the knockout bracket. It places the groups who end third or fourth at a drawback, as a result of it’s now inconceivable for both be at house within the second leg of a semifinal.
Solely the groups who end within the following positions can get a house second leg within the semifinal: first, second, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, 18th, twenty third, twenty fourth.
