Fans have given contrasting views of the new Champions League format, which has been brought in for this season.
It is the first time since 1992 that the format of the competition has been altered, in which it ceased to be known as the European Cup and became known as the Champions League thanks to the introduction of group stages.
Photo by Toby Clarke
Mike Trinkett, 25, is a fan of these changes as it means there is more football for the fans to watch and enjoy.
He said: “Being a Carlisle fan myself, fixture congestion around European fixtures isn’t a personal issue, because of that and being a huge fan of watching European football, the fact this gives me and the fans more games to watch means I can’t help but prefer the new format.”
However, not everyone is optimistic about the changes. Steve Mickelson, 54, believes the reason for the revamp is purely financial.
He said: “I prefer the old format, I think there’s too many games generally but obviously (in the past) there was a push for the Super League… even though that fell through it is obvious this is all about the elite clubs making as much money as possible.”
Carl Lukeman, 64, believes that the old format was working well and doesn’t believe that this revamp was necessary.
He said: “I think it’s rubbish, the old system was working well, it means more games for players who are already unhappy with how much they have to play, I just don’t agree with it at all, the only benefits are purely financial.”
Anna Rossi, 26, is open to the new format as it means more teams will qualify for the competition.
She said: “I don’t think they’re the worst changes, these will provide more opportunities for more teams and the consequences of every game is now clearer.”
Before this season’s alterations, 32 teams would compete in eight group stages of four, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the last 16.
Now, the competition has 36 teams with each side playing eight different games, four at home and four away and all teams entering a single league phase.
Teams who finish in the top eight of this league phase will automatically qualify for the last 16, with the teams who place ninth to 24th entering a two-legged play off, with the winners of these ties joining the eight teams who automatically qualified from the league phase.
The sides who place 25th or lower in the league phase will be automatically eliminated from the competition.
The changes will also see an increase in the total number of matches in this season’s competition from 125 to 189.
@merseysportlive What do you think of the new Champions League format?🤔 #footballtiktok #UCL #championsleague #liverpool #liverpoolfc #everton
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