So 1st and 2nd in the league can only play each other in the final?The draw is complicated but to summarise:
- You will play two teams from each pot, one at home and one away.
- The teams you play and whether you play at home or away is determined by a computer.
- There is no group, all 36 teams are in one league.
- If you finish top 8, you qualify for the last 16 directly.
- If you finish 9-24 then you have to play a two legged tie to qualify for the last 16.
- If you finish 25th to 36th you are completely eliminated from Europe (no dropping into Europa League etc).
- The knockout stages are largely determined by where you finish in the league stage so it's essentially a tennis bracket (picture below).
- There is no country protection after the league phase so we could play Arsenal, Liverpool, Villa from the knockout playoff match (before round of 16) if we and one of them finish 9-24th in the league. Before now you could not play them before the Quarter finals.
If we finish in the top 8, we get a home draw second against a team that finished 9-24 in the league.I just don't like this new format- and it's nothing to do with being adverse to change. I liked finishing the top of the group, you were guaranteed a home draw second in last 16. We are bound to get shite away draws in the league like Real, Bayern, Inter, Atletico, PSG. For me come back Shaktar, Copenhagen etc, all is forgiven.
Ihmo even though this is supposedly a 'random' automated draw that there is room for a degree of manipulation to get the ties they want and practically guarantee certain Spainish, German, Italian and Red English teams a place in the top 8 of the league.....
Nah, I dislike it immensely already.
UEFA.com
And in the queue for Oasis ticketsThank you so much
Handy when I'm on train to West Ham
Or on the piss
Where are the substitutes?