New CL Format Thoughts | After GW2 (pg13) | GW3 (pg33)

[Cellarite]

It’s ironic it used to be called the European Cup, then when it became the Champion’s League teams didnt need to be champions to get in

It's always be the "cup of champions". We've just always referred to it as the European Cup in this country.

 

[TinFoilHat]

Happy with the variety in opposition. UEFA have not thought this through as much as the big boys who worked out they can have friendly draws against each other then batter the rest to make sure minimum points for knockout stages are guaranteed.

There's going to be some boring as fuck games and more small teams getting battered by 5 or more goals. For example Celtic will get spanked by someone by more goals than they scored yesterday.

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

would of made more sense to keep the amount of group games the same.

Lead to more excitement from the off.

Either that or just ban Italian sides the boring bastards :-D

 

[Cobwebcat]

But us having Inter, PSG and Juve, the latter 2 away, doesn’t feel hugely fair, esp when you look at the fixtures a team like Celtic have ended up with …

We got an average draw but you are bang on with Celtic. PSG got the nightmare.

Champions League 2024-25 Fixture Difficulty: Who Has the Easiest and Toughest Group Stage Games? | Opta Analyst

We've used the Opta Power Rankings to work out the fixture difficulty for each team in this season's UEFA Champions League group stage.

theanalyst.com

 

[M18CTID]

Surely I’m not the only one who quite likes the new format?

I reckon after 6/7 games it will be interesting…. Top 8 is a big ask and some of the big clubs are going to miss out.

Apart from the fact that it’s an obvious money grab and even more games for the players, I’m with you mate. I like it and it throws up more variety which is great for fans who like to do European aways. More clubs will have something to play for towards the end of the group stage too.

 

[Thebigbluehouse]

Apart from the fact that it’s an obvious money grab and even more games for the players, I’m with you mate. I like it and it throws up more variety which is great for fans who like to do European aways. More clubs will have something to play for towards the end of the group stage too.

How does this all end. Last 18 ties all played on the same night? Or, do some teams have the benefit of knowing what they need to do before a ball is kicked.

 

[blueparrot]

Surely I’m not the only one who quite likes the new format?

I reckon after 6/7 games it will be interesting…. Top 8 is a big ask and some of the big clubs are going to miss out.

I like it, and think not only will one or two big clubs miss out on top 8 , the 2 legs to make the last 16 could see some surprises. Extra games a bit of a negative but think it will be more interesting than the old groups.

 

[cyan]

How does this all end. Last 18 ties all played on the same night? Or, do some teams have the benefit of knowing what they need to do before a ball is kicked.

Everyone playing at the same time - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/champions-league/scores-fixtures/2025-01

 

[MadchesterCity]

Pish we drew

What I did notice is you care less about other scores initially as you're not in a specific group.

More games, less rest, more injuries, less fun, more Thursday games, less Sturday matches, more impact on Premier league.

 

[Oystercatcher28]

Rather have extra groups and an extra round of knock out than the Swiss Família Robinson format. Screenshot the bottom 8 after tonight and I'm sure they won't change by January.