UCL Format Explained as Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa prepare for draw

The Champions League draw takes place on Thursday evening as Premier League quartet Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa gear up to learn their fate for European action this season. They, among others, will look to wrestle the Champions League crown away from Real Madrid after their win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley back in May. 

However, the quartet will need to get to grips with a new Champions League format. Under the revamped system, teams will play eight games rather than six between in the league stage, and there will no longer be the group stages as seen in recent seasons. 

Instead, teams are entered into one big 36-team league. The top eight progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League automatically, while the next 16 will play a two-legged playoff to determine who will be playing Champions League football in the New Year. Those that finish 25th or lower exit European competition entirely. 

This also means that those that fail to progress to next round of the Champions League will no longer drop straight into the Europa League, which gives those in Europe's second club competition a better chance at glory. 

For more information on the revamped Champions League format, be sure to check out our handy explainer by tactics guru Sam Tighe.