Key occasions
Thanks, Michael and hey, everybody. How we feelin’ tonight?! The large bash is beneath manner in Monaco, with an opera singer on stage in glittering apparel to carry out all the Champions League anthem, in entrance of a montage of European Cup-winning moments.
I’m merely the hype man, despatched on early to heat up the group. Niall McVeigh will take the weblog for the precise draw/important occasion. Take pleasure in!
Uefa are calling this the ‘League Section Draw’, in case you can decipher that.
These are the pots for the draw. It’s clearly some form of seeding system, composed based on the membership coefficient rankings established at the start of the season and with the Champions League titleholder being the highest seed in Pot One.
Pots
Pot One
1. Actual Madrid (ESP)
2. Manchester Metropolis (ENG)
3. Bayern Munich (GER)
4. Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
5. Liverpool (ENG)
6. Internazionale (ITA)
7. Borussia Dortmund (GER)
8. RB Leipzig (GER)
9. Barcelona (ESP)
Pot Two
10. Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
11. Atlético Madrid (ESP)
12. Atalanta (ITA)
13. Juventus (ITA)
14. Benfica (POR)
15. Arsenal (ENG)
16. Membership Brugge KV (BEL)
17. Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
18. Milan (ITA)
Pot Three
19. Feyenoord (NED)
20. Sporting Lisbon (POR)
21. PSV Eindhoven (NED)
22. GNK Dinamo (CRO)
23. RB Salzburg (AUT)
24. Lille (FRA)
25. Crimson Star Belgrade (SRB)
26. Younger Boys (SUI)
27. Celtic (SCO)
Pot 4
28. Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
29. Monaco (FRA)
30. Sparta Praha (CZE)
31. Aston Villa (ENG)
32. Bologna 1909 (ITA)
33. Girona (ESP)
34. Stuttgart (GER)
35. Sturm Graz (AUT)
36. Brest (FRA)
That is Uefa’s clarification to what the pots really imply, and the way the draw will happen.
As soon as the identify of the crew is displayed, the automated software program randomly attracts eight opponents for this crew, two from every pot (1, 2, 3 and 4), together with, for every opponent, whether or not they’re performed at house or away. The order of allocation of opponents begins with pot 1 (two opponents), adopted by the opposite pots in descending order. The software program attracts the doable legitimate opponents from all pots respecting the above-mentioned draw situations, and making certain {that a} legitimate allocation is made, guaranteeing the complete draw and match schedule consistent with the competitors calendar might be accomplished for all groups. This allocation by the software program is made inside a predefined time restrict.
As soon as a sound allocation has been drawn by the software program, the opponents and which matches are performed at house or away will likely be revealed. The process is then repeated for all remaining groups of pot one.
Bought it? Good.
Reasonably than a former champion fumbling round a bag of balls, or Rod Steward making faces on the cameras, this format of the draw does have some added jeapardy: cyber assault.
“We’re taking cybersecurity extremely critically,” mentioned Dave Gill, the chief government of AE Stay. “Clearly this can be a delicate concern. I’m reluctant to enter particulars about what we’re doing however I can guarantee you we’ve taken all steps we will to ensure that is as protected and safe as doable.” Gill mentioned his firm was on the receiving finish of assaults whereas engaged on the Qatar 2022 draw for Fifa after Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine. “We’ve skilled this,” he added. “We’ve been by means of danger assessments and put precautions in place.”
Preamble
Right here we go once more. The battle for Ol’ Large Ears begins once more in earnest with this draw. Usually this may be for the group stage, however this can be a new world. We’re simply now certain if we prefer it (but).
How will the brand new format work?
It is a high-stakes experiment from Uefa, applied initially for the 2024-27 Champions League cycle. The previous group stage has been changed by a single 36-strong league desk with every crew taking part in eight matches in opposition to eight totally different opponents, 4 at house and 4 away. It is named a “Swiss mannequin” and can shake down right into a prime eight, who qualify on to the knockout stage, with 16 sides contesting a playoff spherical. The groups ending between twenty fifth and thirty sixth will likely be eradicated when the league section concludes in January. The knockouts will look acquainted, a spherical of 16 funnelling in the direction of a Might remaining, this time in Munich, and they are going to be bracketed so the golf equipment can plot their potential path.
How will the draw work?
A brand new “hybrid idea” will change the old style technique that was based mostly purely on choosing balls from bowls. Every crew will likely be drawn out by hand earlier than software program designed by AE Stay, a expertise options supplier that works with a spread of main sports activities establishments, selects their eight opponents. No membership can play one other crew from their very own home league or play greater than two video games in opposition to sides from a selected nation. Supporters with their fingers poised on Skyscanner can ease off: the fixture listing, together with the order wherein matches are performed, won’t be printed till Saturday.
The draw will happen at 5pm BST and is predicted to final for round an hour! How precisely it is going to try this, I do not know!
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