2012/13 UEFA Champions League thread

[Colly]

Does that mean Malaga can get Real in the next round, or are countries still kept separate?

[Baddar]

Does that mean Malaga can get Real in the next round, or are countries still kept separate?

Apart for the next round, but teams from the same country can play each other from the quarters onwards.

[stokeriño]

Looking at the current table standings, if Chelsea did sneak through in 2nd place (we can't finish top) then just about the only possible oppoisition I would be fairly comfortable with would be FC Porto.

You know, as opposed to:

Schalke 04

Malaga

Borussia Dortmund

Bayern Munich (!!)

Barcelona (!!)

[Lineker]

European football's governing body Uefa is considering ditching the Europa League in favour of extending the Champions League from 32 to 64 teams.

"We're discussing it. We will make a decision in 2014. Nothing is decided yet," Uefa president Michel Platini told French newspaper Ouest-France.

It means seven English clubs and five Scottish teams could enter at a qualifying round stage.

Uefa is looking at changing the format of European competitions from 2015.

"There is an ongoing debate to determine what form the European competitions will have between 2015 and 2018," added Platini.

An extension of the group stages to a 64-team format could see seven English clubs qualify for the competition rather than the current four, and increase the number of Scottish teams participating from two to five.

The Europa League has been criticised by some since it replaced the Uefa Cup in 2009 and exists in the shadow of the more lucrative Champions League.

Last week Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said the Europa League was more difficult to negotiate than the Champions League because of its "heavier schedule" and Thursday night kick-offs.

Despite that, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas - who won the competition with Porto in 2011 - has said he could not understand why the tournament was viewed as a punishment in England.

The Champions League is far more financially beneficial, for Uefa and the clubs concerned, than Europe's second-tier tournament.

Europe's governing body earned about £800m more from the Champions League than the Europa League last season, while Chelsea made £49m by winning the Champions League in 2012.

Manchester United - who were knocked out in the Champions League group stages last year - received £28m. By comparison, last season's Europa League winners, Atletico Madrid, earned £8.5m in prize money and Fulham, knocked out of the group stages, won £2.2m.

It has been reported that Europe's richest clubs will form a breakaway European league if the Champions League is not expanded.

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell said earlier this month that he would like to cut the number of teams competing in the top tier of domestic leagues and increase the number of clubs in the Champions League.

But Platini, a former France international, said he was not worried by talk of a tournament to rival the Champions League being set up.

"It's a question that is regularly brought up," he said.

"I can't see how it could work outside the Uefa framework. Who will referee them? In what stadiums will they play?"

[stokeriño]

So. Three consecutive group stages then.

[HailtotheYo]

I like the Europa League/Uefa Cup/secondary "big" competition.

Watering down the CL like this pretty much defeats the purpose of a "Champions" league.

[Adam]

Getting rid of the Europa League is a brilliant idea. But adding shitloads more teams to the Champions League is as terrible an idea as the first bit is good.

[HailtotheYo]

I dunno, just seems that the Europa League gives much more of an opportunity to clubs not in the "top 5" leagues in UEFA. Anything that allows for more of a breadth of teams to find success seems like a good thing. I mean, Fulham's run to the final was amazing on several different levels.

[Baddar]

I dunno, just seems that the Europa League gives much more of an opportunity to clubs not in the "top 5" leagues in UEFA. Anything that allows for more of a breadth of teams to find success seems like a good thing. I mean, Fulham's run to the final was amazing on several different levels.

It was good, but far too many teams see it as a burden.

I don't mind a CL expansion, 124 groups of 4 teams is fine by me.

[Matt]

I wish they'd stop threatening a breakaway league... what makes anyone think the likes of arsenal will want to compete in a league where they lose most weeks

[Colly]

And would fans in any of the major European leagues want it? Would Arsenal fans want to no longer have the Spurs game, or Man Utd fans to not have Liverpool? The concept of no longer playing in the English league system that means the team I watch every other week could theoretically one day play in the league my local non league side plays in (preferably Billingham Synthonia in the Premiership rather than Newcastle in the Northern League) and just playing big European games would certainly put me off. Much as TV money drives the game now, a massive empty ground at these big clubs doesn't look good on TV, and the Premiership can survive without its top 4.

Regarding the CL expansion I can't call it until they explain how it would work. More groups plus one extra knockout round, or just an earlier knockout qualifier? Either way it means teams that could otherwise be contesting the Europa League will be out of Europe very early, and if its the latter its hardly worth the effort of trying for the smaller clubs.

[Matt]

And would fans in any of the major European leagues want it? Would Arsenal fans want to no longer have the Spurs game, or Man Utd fans to not have Liverpool? The concept of no longer playing in the English league system that means the team I watch every other week could theoretically one day play in the league my local non league side plays in (preferably Billingham Synthonia in the Premiership rather than Newcastle in the Northern League) and just playing big European games would certainly put me off. Much as TV money drives the game now, a massive empty ground at these big clubs doesn't look good on TV, and the Premiership can survive without its top 4.

Regarding the CL expansion I can't call it until they explain how it would work. More groups plus one extra knockout round, or just an earlier knockout qualifier? Either way it means teams that could otherwise be contesting the Europa League will be out of Europe very early, and if its the latter its hardly worth the effort of trying for the smaller clubs.

The TV money plus the chance of drawing a top 15-20 team or two would make it worth it.

[Colly]

I know the tv money is better in the Champions League, but for a team who would otherwise make it to the quarters or semis of the Europa League to go out in an early qualifying round of the CL I can't imagine them being better off.

[MDK]

I would be in favour of this if they turned it into a giant version of the FA Cup. No seedings, no big teams waiting until the third round, just 64 (or whatever) teams playing a knockout tourney. I would love that.

[Matt]

I know the tv money is better in the Champions League, but for a team who would otherwise make it to the quarters or semis of the Europa League to go out in an early qualifying round of the CL I can't imagine them being better off.

I'd say it's pretty unlikely that a side that usually makes it to the quarters/semis would get knocked out before the group stage if there are 64 teams in the groups. And if you reach the group stage, you're probably going to make a similar amount of money if not more.

I would be in favour of this if they turned it into a giant version of the FA Cup. No seedings, no big teams waiting until the third round, just 64 (or whatever) teams playing a knockout tourney. I would love that.

They'll never do it, it increases the risk that the big sides will go out early on.

[MDK]

I know, but how fun would it be?

[Baddar]

But United would get the easy draw every year!

[Colly]

I'm not convinced. Once the initial thrill of 'Shit, Cluj are in the Champions League final!' subsides, you're then left with the prospect of Cluj in a Champions League final. Never been a fan of the 'get rid of seeding' argument, even the FA Cup has the top clubs coming in at a later stage.

[MDK]

Yes, the big clubs need that help >_>

[Matt]

Yeah, predictability > excitement.