2 months ago
65 
Photo by Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Liverpool make their return to Europe’s premier competition after a year, to a brand new format.
The draw for the UEFA Champions League will be held on Thursday, as Liverpool make their return to the competition after a year’s absence. They will find themselves competing in a revamped format, with a new “Swiss-style” league system replacing the old group stages.
The new format will feature 36 teams, each contesting eight fixtures against different opponents. Teams will be seeded into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficients. Liverpool are in Pot 1 with reigning champions Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Internazionale, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, anr Barcelona.
Liverpool can expect to face two teams from each of the four pots, ensuring a diverse range of home and away challenges. However, teams will not face their fellow domestic teams at this stage, meaning the Reds will not face fellow English teams Manchester City of Abu Dhabi, Arsenal, and Aston Villa.
At the end of the league phase, the top eight teams in the 36-team table will advance directly to the Round of 16 knockout phase. Teams finishing between ninth and 24th place will then enter the knockout round play-offs, from which eight additional clubs will qualify for the Round of 16. This should mean every game in the league phase will be intense and high-stakes, as 1.) there won’t be a home fixture for every opponent 2.) missing out on automatic qualification means playing even more games
The eight matchdays are scheduled for the following dates:
Matchday 1: September 17/18/19 Matchday 2: October 1/2 Matchday 3: October 22/23 Matchday 4: November 5/6 Matchday 5: November 26/27 Matchday 6: December 10/11 Matchday 7: January 21/22 Matchday 8: January 29Come on you Redmen!
