I think it’s a free for all but you cannot play teams from the same country as usual ? Red Star, Lille and Slovan Bratislava make it through.
Yeah, you can't play anyone from your own country. It should be an interesting draw though. You've got Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga and La Liga teams all represented in pot 4 which is quite unusual. Feel like home games are going to be key in the league phase, any results away from home is probably a bonus.
We've got a whole bunch of fresh faces. Stuttgart, Girona, Bologna, Villa and Brest. They aren't usual suspects. And you can tell they are fresh because their coefficients are so low.
It's nice having some fresh faces in the competition, probably moreso in the new format as they've got a chance of doing alright if they can pick up some results. It'll depend somewhat on the draw later but I'd like to think nobody is going to finish without a point in this new format so it'll be interesting to see what points tallies are needed for top 8 and then top 24.
Well if you'll forgive me for using such a wild form of simulation, I have a FM save currently in 2035 and I went back over the last eleven seasons of that save and 9 points was the average points to guarantee finishing 24th or higher. To finish 8th or higher, it was 18 points. Considering pot 4 teams will play two other pot 4 teams, there's an opportunity for them to get 6 of the 9 expected points needed to qualify.
I just want to play Pep Ljinders Salzburg so we can give him a big welcome back when he comes to Anfield. Don't care who else we get we will piss the group stage.
Worst case scenario? Real Madrid, Inter, Leverkusen, Atletico, Sporting, Feyenoord, Monaco, Stuttgart Best? Leipzig, Dortmund, Milan, Club Brugge, Young Boys, Celtic, Brest, Bologna
Both look pretty tricky. I was having a look at the pots and I think you can make a case pot 4 is just as dangerous as pot 3.
Bologna, Girona and Stuttgart are all arguably weaker than they were last season. Could throw Villa in that too.
On paper maybe yeah but they are unknown quantities at this level so dangerous draws I think so there will be a lot of interesting matchup's anyway. I know people don't like the new format but I am actually looking forward to it.
I shouldn't be surprised that UEFA are trying to make a spectacle out of this. If I'm not mistaken, it's pull out a team and then a computer decides who they play There is no draw strictly speaking
Watching a Champions League draw is like going to a graduation where you don't know anybody graduating. (to steal a Bill Burr joke)
Push the magic button Cristiano! I'm sorry but you can't make a spectacle out of this. Next year, just reveal each matchday one after the other.
