Champions League Draw - 29th August '24 | Opponents (pg69) | Fixtures (pg128)

cptaidan88 said:
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.
r1300213_1296x864_3-2.jpg
Click to expand...
I'm actually confident that this new format will be more entertaining. People just don't like change.

The group stages have been pretty boring for us for years now. Being drawn against similar teams, dead rubbers, fewer 'glamour ties'.

Now we know we'll play eight different teams. I presume that there will be some type of financial bonus depending on where you finish in the league table (which means clubs will want to win every game). There's also more football... what's not to like?
 
Manchester33 said:
I'm actually confident that this new format will be more entertaining. People just don't like change.

The group stages have been pretty boring for us for years now. Being drawn against similar teams, dead rubbers, fewer 'glamour ties'.

Now we know we'll play eight different teams. I presume that there will be some type of financial bonus depending on where you finish in the league table (which means clubs will want to win every game). There's also more football... what's not to like?
Click to expand...
Too much football these days as far as I am concerned.

UEFA and FIFA competing with each other to expand club competitions without any thought of player welfare.
 
cptaidan88 said:
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.
r1300213_1296x864_3-2.jpg
Click to expand...
Any ideas on why they are doing the 2nd draw, I would have expected it to purely on seeded position once the league is over & some really weird final 10 minutes of 8th round matches as teams try to avoid or guess what's needed to avoid certain teams.
 
Gray said:
Too much football these days as far as I am concerned.

UEFA and FIFA competing with each other to expand club competitions without any thought of player welfare.
Click to expand...
I get where you’re coming from, but player welfare isn’t really my concern. It’s certainly a concern for clubs. But they are pushing for more games and more revenue.

In a perfect world, an extra couple of games would mean more opportunity for academy lads to get minutes.
 
Gray said:
Too much football these days as far as I am concerned.

UEFA and FIFA competing with each other to expand club competitions without any thought of player welfare.
Click to expand...
Its all a bloody big fix / con. UEFA must believe that using this way forward all the "protected" teams with one major exception will qualify to a super glamorous last 8.

A fuckin fix and I hate the competition. (still think we'll be invincible... lol)
 
Right ...
So as soon as draw is made are the actual dates times etc finalised?

Will be heading to Hearts v Plzen so don't want to screw up
 
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.
 
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