The next season will have a hybrid CL draw; the top two teams will not be able to compete until the championship.
A new framework will be implemented for the Champions League beginning with the 2019 season. This new format will present us with a creative approach to interpreting the competition’s traditional drawings. According to Sky Sports, the hybrid draw will now be conducted with the assistance of a computer. Under the new structure, the draw will require 900 balls and three to four hours to complete if it is carried out in the same manner as it has previously been. This is the reason why this is the case. It is for this reason that there will be a modification to the procedure. First, clubs will be selected by hand, and then, out of the 36 teams, a computer will determine which eight teams are their competitors in the league. Therefore, in order to prevent allegations of draw manipulation, the automatic features will still be subject to independent inspection, as stated by the European Union Football Association (UEFA).
In light of this, the entire procedure will take approximately thirty-five minutes.
The application that will be responsible for the execution of the digital element of the competition is currently being developed by a software developer based in England. In addition to that, there will be two backup software systems present, and an audit of the draw will be carried out.
It is also crucial to remember that the two teams who finish first and second in the standings after the first phase will not be allowed to compete against each other until the final. The first team will be drawn into one half of the draw for the 1/8-finals, and the second team will be placed into the other half of the draw. According to this rule, the top four teams are not allowed to compete against each other until the quarterfinals and beyond. It is the intention of this plan to incentivize teams to aim for the highest possible league rating rather than simply achieving a position in the top eight of the standings. In terms of structure, the Conference League and the Europa League will both adhere to the same guidelines.
Another opportunity to win the Champions League trophy will be presented to Inter, who were the finalists in the competition the year before. On the other hand, the Nerazzurri are already up against a difficult opponent at the eighth-final level, and they have a goal advantage over them as a result of their match against Milan within their own stadium. As a result of a late goal scored by Marko Arnautovic, Inter was able to secure a 1-0 victory on February 20. However, the conclusion could have and rather should have been significantly more definitive. A total of seven shots were fired by the ‘Dusekci’ in response, but none of them were in any way accurate. When taking into consideration the inconsistent performance of the rivals, it is intriguing to notice that Inter is still the favorite to win in Madrid. However, this makes perfect sense.
Atletico Madrid is not, without a shadow of a doubt, in a position to compete with the extremely talented teams in Europe. Since February, the squad has competed in nine official matches across all tournaments, but they have only managed to triumph in two of those matches. Additionally, they have suffered as many as five defeats. After that, I was taken aback by the last one. In the race for fourth place in La Liga, Atletico presently leads Athletic Bilbao by just two points. This is despite the fact that Atletico suffered a loss to Cadiz for a score of 0:2 on the road on Saturday. Live football tips were not wrong then. You can follow them in the next game.
Inter, on the other hand, continued their remarkable performance and emerged victorious in every competition. With a winning streak of thirteen games in a row throughout all competitions, the Nerazzurri are the team in the major divisions that holds the record for the longest winning consecutive streak. With Milan being in second place and behind by 16 points, it would appear that winning the Serie A championship is a matter of course at this point in time. On the road, Inter came out on top against Bologna by a score of 1-0.
Acts both on and off the field suggest that the collective members of Italy’s squad, which has the ability to win the championship, are performing at the highest possible level. Diego Simeone has quality in his squad, which is adequate to defeat any team in a perfect game, despite the fact that I do not believe that things will change today. When compared, there is just one objective. In my opinion, that is not going to take place, and I am more inclined to assume that Inzaghi will once again be able to trick his opponent in the coaching duel as a result of his shrewd football play and his good defensive performance.
Atletico Madrid, which is coached by Diego Simeone, is popularly known for playing a more aggressive style of football, and its players frequently display signs of anxiousness while they are competing. I have no doubt that they will experience that today, given the fact that the game is not going in their favor. While playing in Italy, the Dushechi was shown four yellow cards, and on the weekend match against Cadiz, we saw five yellow cards. Despite the fact that we preclude the likelihood of a host losing control of the situation, it will be essential for their adversary to make a speedy shift from defense to attack. As a result of the appearance of additional offensive lines, the players for Atletico will be forced to make intentional tactical violations.
Despite the fact that Borussia Dortmund and PSV are not regarded favorites to win the Champions League trophy and will be overwhelming underdogs in the subsequent round, the match of these two teams in the eighth final is fascinating. A victory for one of them would be achieved if they were to make it through this round, and their chances appear to be comparable. The first match for both teams took place in Aindhoven, and it ended in a draw when the home team equalized the score with a penalty kick in the 56th minute. The visitors from Dortmund emerged from the competition with a decent finish, despite the fact that they were the more aggressive squad on the field to begin with.
When it comes to the odds, Borussia has a little advantage in the rematch, just like they had when they faced PSV in February. It is without a doubt the case that the Germans have more experience than the other two teams competing in the competition; after all, don’t forget how they won the group of death in the fall. During their time as the home team in the Champions League, they have now gone seven games without suffering a defeat. PSV, on the other hand, has only suffered two defeats in the 39 games they have played so far this season. One of those defeats came against Arsenal in London during the group stage.
Dortmund comes into today’s match having won two consecutive Bundesliga games, which kept them in the top four of the standings. However, they are only one point ahead of RB Leipzig, who are now in fifth position. Within the context of these matches, the opponents as well as the victories over Werder and Union Berlin were challenging conditions. However, despite the fact that PSV only claimed a 1-0 victory over G.A. Eagles away from home over the weekend, they continue to maintain a ten-point advantage over Feyenoord at the top of the rankings.
Before the second leg in Dortmund, it appeared as though this partnership had the potential to be the most difficult of the eight partnerships who were eliminated in the eighth round. It is true that there is a favorite in this contest; nonetheless, PSV has the edge due to the fact that they have a winning record in the Eridivisie and they are able to focus completely on this matchup.
The fact that Eindhoven was tied one week ago makes me believe that there will be a tactical confrontation, despite the fact that a scoreless game is expected to take place. I believe that Dortmund will almost surely be looking for a goal from the locker room, but I also believe that their pressure will soon be relaxed, and the game will build up a pace that is level and evenly matched. This will result in the first goal of the match being delayed.
The replay of the Champions League 1/8 finals between Arsenal and Porto will take place at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal, who currently leads the Premier League, will be looking to prevail over Porto. Their triumph in England will serve as a source of motivation for Arsenal. “The Gunners need to overcome a one-goal deficit in order to win their match against Estadio do Dragao, where they suffered a three-week loss with a goal scored in injury time in the last seconds of the match.
Taking into account the fact that the ‘Ballers’ have been performing very well in the Premier League since the beginning of 2024, Mikel Arteta’s squad anticipated a more fruitful match than the one they played in Portugal. During the course of this match, Arsenal players were unable to make a single shot that was free of any error.The Gunners have been ousted in the first knockout round in each of their seven most recent tournament appearances; if they want to put an end to this run, they need to get back to scoring goals. Arsenal has just once won a Champions League match after losing the first leg in the last ten matches they have played. However, this occurred during the 2009–10 season, when the team was playing Porto. During that time period, the Londoners were defeated by the Dragons in the second leg by a score of 5:0, even though they had previously lost the first leg by a score of 1:2. As a result, they were able to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Of the 22 games that Porto has played away from home in England, they have not been able to win any of them. In addition, the Dragons, who are now in third place in the Portuguese Championship, have not even been able to score a goal in any of their three most recent defeats at the Emirates Stadium. The difference in goals scored between those two teams was 11-0.
With a combined score of 12-0, Arsenal has been victorious in all three of its home games that have been played during the group stage of the Champions League this season. In contrast, Porto has not suffered a single defeat in any of their tournaments over the past six consecutive games.
Both Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Martinelli are still considered to be questionable for the rematch, and Julien Timber is still in the process of recovering from a horrific injury that he sustained at the beginning of the season. Both Ivan Marcano and Zaidou Sanusi are currently on their way to Porto. Mehdi Taremi is expected to participate in the Emirates encounter, despite the fact that he was unable to play in the first leg due to an injury.
