THIS week’s eagerly-anticipated Champions League draw has been simulated – and the results make for bad reading for Arsenal fans.
The 2024/25 instalment of Europe’s elite club competition will be the inaugural outing of the tournament’s new format.
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The well-known 32-team competition format, which has been in place since 1967, is now a thing of the past.
It’s been replaced by a new setup including 36 of Europe’s best clubs – but they won’t be competing in the traditional group stage.
The 36 teams will compete in a SINGLE league format in which they’ll play eight fixtures.
In the new setup, each team will play four matches at home and four games away.
Teams will be ranked in four seeding pots and will play two opponents from each of the pots.
The top eight teams will automatically secure qualification for the last 16, while the ninth to 24th-placed sides will take part in a two-legged playoff.
Teams who finished in 25th place and below will be eliminated from the tournament and WON’T drop into the Europa League.
The draw for this season’s tournament takes place in Monaco on Thursday afternoon.
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And a simulation of the draw has given Arsenal the proverbial ‘Group of Death’.
A super-computer has drawn the Gunners – who are in Pot 2 in the draw – against European giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
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Paris Saint-Germain Juventus, Sporting Lison and PSV Eindhoven make up the North Londoners’ opponents from Pot 2 and Pot 3.
It’s been predicted that they’ll then face the winner of this week’s FC Midtjylland qualification clash with Slovan Bratislava.
Arsenal reached the quarter-finals of last season’s Champions League following a five-year absence from the competition.
Mikel Arteta’s troops were dumped out of the competition by Bayern, losing 3-2 on aggregate to the Bundesliga big boys.
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