The draw for a new-look Champions League group stage, featuring more teams from Europe’s top five leagues and fewer representatives from the smaller ones, takes place in Monaco on Thursday by 1600 GMT.
The following is a look at the controversial changes that have been made and how the draw itself works:
UEFA uses two ranking systems for its club competitions, to determine seedings and slot allocation.
The “association coefficients” rank the national associations according to the results of their respective clubs.
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The “club coefficients” rank clubs according to their own results over a five-year period.
Twenty-six teams qualify directly for the 32-team group stage. They are:
-The defending champions (Real Madrid)
-The Europa League champions (Atletico Madrid).
-The top four teams from each…
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