Will the New Champions League Format Revolutionize the Group Stage? | The GSMC Soccer Podcast

we move on um to discuss uh this new Champions League format and whether or not it will improve the group stages so first of all before we discuss whether or not I'll improve the group stages let me try to explain to y'all and let me try to understand myself which I'm thinking I'm starting to do as I read it a little bit as I uh read a little bit more what is um what is this new format going to be now I'm reading this off the UEFA Champions League website so essentially this new for format will go from number one it will go from 32 teams to 36 teams and it seems like the group stages is really going to be one big league but you know with 36 teams every team is obviously not going to play against each other but instead teams will um so it'll go 36 teams and and then games will increase going from the north almost six home and away games um you played you know in a group it'll increase to eight teams eight games each team will play eight games um and then this new and then in this new format um uh and to determine your eight opponents in this sort of 36 game table that 36 team table 36 Team league to determine their opponents um all teams will be ranked in four pots pot one pot two pot Three Pot four and each team will be drawn to play against two opponents from each pot so you know you know so like let's say you know I'm representing uh let's say I'm representing Aston Villa and Aston Villa um the Champions League pots came out actually let's see Champions League Parts did come out so we'll be able to see what po ason is in when I give you this example so Aston Villa Aston Villa is in pop four okay so um let's say I'm representing Aston Villa Aston Villa will be drawing against a pop two pop one teams two pot two teams two po three teams and two pop four teams despite Aston Villa being a pop four team himself they'll also play two games from their own pot to complete the eight games that they play half of these games will be at home half of them will be away um which is interesting you don't get to you know you know you might have to go away to Camp no in Barcelona but Barcelona will not come to play at Villa Park you know cuz you know you play you know you're only playing each opponent once and half your games are home half your games are away so that's going to be interesting to see how I assume one game from one pot one game you play will be a home game one po two upon one game will be an away game the other pot two will be a home game the other pot two away game you basically play in each pot one of them will be a home game one of them will be a away game that's what I assume um yeah that's what it's going to be and yeah this you know this you know this you know makes it a little bit different um makes the strategy a little bit different in terms of grouping um and yeah and it will I think it will result into more competitive you know games in the group stages especially down the stretch with 36 games only 36 teams only eight games being played the league TI the leagues will start being compressed and yeah so and then you know the extra four Champions League group stage spots will be allocated by um uh uh actually now with this new format um it's interesting to determine how it's going to be how teams are will be put in The Knockout stage the result of each game with deci side the overall ranking in the new league was three points for a win and one for a draw normally right yeah the top eight sides in this league one through eight in this 36 Team league after the after every team's played the eight games the top eight sides will qualify automatically for the round of 16 while teams from Ninth Place to 24th Place will play in a in a playoff to reach the round the 16 um ninth to 24th Place that's uh that's 16 teams those 16 teams will essentially play a home in away playoff just to get into The Knockout stages sort of an extra sort of elimination game to get into knock stages teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated and there will be there's no more no they don't have any access to the or those teams will have no access to the Europa League um the new format with all the teams ranked together in a single League will mean that there's more to play for the way through the final night of the league phase now in The Knockout phase the teams that finish between 9th and 16th will be succeeded in The Knockout face playoff draw meaning they'll face a team placed 7th to 24 within principle the return leg at home the a clubs which which will win they'll move on to the knockout phas playoffs and progress to the round of 16 where they'll face one of the top eight finishers you know top eight finishers that finish in the round the 16 yeah that's um that's uh interesting there so essentially we're getting a we're getting a a round of it's not really a round of 32 because it's 2 four teams that sort of move on to elimination games but we essentially get an extra knockout stage round it's sort of the Playoff round to get into The Knockout stages so essentially be an extra knockout stage round which I think will lead to more you know interesting games I think the group stages will be a lot more interesting in the fact that it's going to come down to the wire teams will they trying to battle getting into that top eight maybe battle for positioning within the top eight that'll make it easier in the long run in the Champions League cuz what place you're finishing in the league even if you're in the top eight can determine what side of the draw you're on and all that um I think the most fascinating part about this is the fact that we'll be getting um you know we'll be getting pot one teams facing off against pot one teams you know we'll get like a weekly okay City's going to Real Madrid or or let me see the pot one teams or PSG going to Byron or Liverpool going to Barcelona we're going to get those sort of games because each team each P one team will have to play two P one teams so we're bound each week we'll have you know a sort of amazing game of the week now reading the parts in part one you get City Real Madrid Bayern Munich PSG Liverpool Internationale Bia Dort RB liic Barcelona pot two you got a Bayern lusen which I think it's a little ridiculous that they're pot two Bay Leverkusen Atletico Madrid Atlanta Juventus Benfica Arsenal Club bro shakor denet and AC Milan wow Arsenal is a pot two team wow and then pot three finer wood sporting PSV einhoven Damo zag Zagreb FC salsburg Lil redst Belgrade young boys Celtic and then in pop four slovan Bratislava as Monaco Sparta Prague Aston Villa bologna Jona stard and Stor grass and breast so um so yeah that's going to be the the part and reading that part one you know we're going to get some big big games Real Madrid Man City Bayern Munich PSG Liverpool inter Bar D lii Barcelona not just that we'll have teams like Arsenal Bayern Leverkusen Atletico Madrid they'll also be playing two part one teams as well so we're bound to get big games on a weekly sort of basis which I think will improve the quality of the group stages cuz I have to be honest the Champions League group stages have been snooze a snooze Fest the past couple of years so I'm excited for this new sort of P I think it'll make it uh I think it'll make the Champions League group stages a lot more interesting cuz they've been so boring they've been so boring sometimes they've been almost unwatchable I have no excitement looking forward to them maybe the first sort of week or two weeks just because the champions league is back we're sort of excited for that just in general Champions League being back getting to hear the anthem again which by the way they're changing the anthem um into a new Anthem with is another change with the champions league but uh but I really think the quality that we're going to get in terms of quality play is going to be a lot you know a lot better in the group stages because we're going to have a lot of the big teams facing off against each other and most importantly it's going to come down to the wire you know you know it's going to come down to the wire you know with you know 36 teams being you know in one League table and you're only playing eight games a team can go from being comfortably um in the top eight to you know subtly you know having to play a playoff just to get into The Knockout stages you know within one match day that's how tight everything's going to be you know you know a team could be in the Champions League playoff positioning at one point and then within a match day they'll be aim at from the Champions League that's how tight things are going to be and there's really you know there is a bit of room for error but not much especially if you're trying to get into the top eight especially if you're trying to get into top eight so that's going to be very very fascinating to see but yes I do think this new Champions League format will overall definitely improve this group stage no doubt about that