A night of high stakes for Europe’s big guns, but is the new format a success?
A night of high stakes for Europe’s big guns, but is the new format a success?
Share:
Nail-biting drama awaits as 18 Champions League games take place all at once, and the nerves will be jangling at some of the biggest clubs. The level of chaos expected in the final round of European “league phase” fixtures can be summed up by the fact Uefa officials have been directing clubs to a simulator that helps them make sense of the permutations affecting their team. They will also be able to monitor changes to their prospects in real time.
![[Nick Ames]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/11/21/Nick_Ames.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Nothing like Wednesday night’s Champions League denouement, when 18 games will take place simultaneously in a dramatic scramble for progress to the knockouts, has been seen before and the challenges are obvious. Swiftly communicating the implications of sudden swings in a densely packed table may tax the ablest of mathematical brains.
![[Bradley Barcola celebrates after scoring during PSG’s 4-2 win over Manchester City, as both elite clubs flirt with early Champions League elimination.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0f19166a6ce625b3885e2ae7d5fe8fbb7477ea9a/0_144_6463_3878/master/6463.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Yet despite a certain level of trepidation, not least among broadcasters planning how to distil the action, the prevailing mood is that the standings before match day eight are a resounding justification of Uefa’s controversial new format. Three points separate third-placed Arsenal and Brest, who sit 13th, in the battle for a top-eight spot and automatic progress to the last 16; further down Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, two giants this sprawling model is supposed to protect, may yet tumble out altogether. This is the level of jeopardy neutrals, if not those invested in the behemoths’ fortunes, would have craved.
The Swiss system has had its doubters in the club game, one suggestion being that it is merely a halfway house to a further revamp in 2027. But there is an increasing sense it may survive longer if it continues in such a riveting vein. One figure close to such discussions notes wryly that there are some within Uefa who, having been staunchly against the format before its rubber stamping in 2021, are more than happy to associate themselves with its success three years later.
