retired_jsnap

I'd like to see how they plan on doing a 3 team final.

retired_anneduck

Makes more sense if we have the 3rd placed Champions League teams there, then its 24 + 8 = 32, so straight knockout without having to resort to some insane triangle match with multiball.

retired_khabmth

Or just take the first 2 (=16) and do the knock out from there. Possibly use the extra dates available to extend the group stage.

retired_2symonds

Some more details, here is a summary of what it could be like (unconfirmed of course, there is a press conference on Friday with the confirmed details)

I bet this is all wrong...

Champions Qualifying Section
Champions of nations ranked 13 - 52 play three rounds of qualifying matches and the five teams left enter the Group Stage

Other Qualifying Section
- 3 Rounds with 5 teams entering group stage

Stage One
6 third placed teams from nations ranked 7 - 12

Stage Two
- 3 winners from previous stage
- 3rd place from nation ranked 6
- Runners-Up from nations ranked 7 - 12

Stage Three
- 5 winners from previous stage
- 4th placed teams from nations 1 - 5

The five winners enter the Group Stage

Now, taking the teams who would have qualified this season, this would give us this (going to ignore the Champions Qualifying Section as that is straight forward) and will assume that each draw will be seeded and a seeded team will play an unseeded team.

Stage One
AZ Alkmaar (63.995)
Panathinaikos (55.415)
Zenit St. Petersburg (38.920)
CFR Cluj (13.255)
Aberdeen (11.064)
Standard Liege (14.594)

Assume higher co-eff team qualify, that would give us AZ, Panathinaikos and Zenit going through.

Stage Two
AZ Alkmaar (63.995)
Panathinaikos (55.415)
Zenit St. Petersburg (38.920)
Benfica (67.107)
Ajax (65.995)
AEK (36.415)
Spartak Moscow (27.920)
Steaua (55.255)
Rangers (47.064)
Genk (15.594)

Again, assuming seeded teams would go through and there is no country protection, that would give AZ, Panathinaikos, Benfica, Ajax and Steaua through.

Stage Three
AZ Alkmaar (63.995)
Panathinaikos (55.415)
Benfica (67.107)
Ajax (65.995)
Steaua (55.255)
Valencia (99.374)
Lazio (51.808)
Arsenal (104.618)
Toulouse (20.706)
W.Bremen (63.640)

Again, assuming as before, this would see Arsenal, Valencia, Werder Bremen, Benfica and Ajax through to the group stage.

Assuming that the top five seeded teams qualify from the other lot of qualifiers, then this is who would enter the group stage.

Dinamo Kiev - UKR (38.726)
Sparta Prague - CZE (37.851)
Fenerbahce - TUR (36.791)
Levski Sofia - BUL (38.112)
Rosenborg - NOR (31.509)

These would join the automatic qualifiers

retired_2symonds

Well today is the day. Apparently there are three different proposals on offer and they are going to decide on one of them. These are taken from different media sources from different countries, which is why they are country specific in some cases.

UEFA Cup
- The television rights are marketed centrally from the group stage onwards
- Two kick-off times: All matches are played at 19.05 or at 21.05 hours.
- From Germany two teams (CW, N4) enter the last qualifying round of the competition, one team (N5) has to play two qualifying rounds
- The Intertoto cup is abolished

- 3rd placed teams from the Champions League group stage will further move into the UEFA Cup
- UC format: 12 groups of 4
- Intertoto Cup is abolished
- For Italy: Two teams get direct access to the UC group stage and one team must play a preliminary round (I think it´s a mistake, they have to play one qualifying round more)

DebSchiff

How about they turn it into a knockout again because
a) even fans of clubs in the group stage barely gaf and
b) it'd be nice to have some interesting european football before Christmas again.

Idiots.

retired_2symonds

The group stage is guaranteed money for both the clubs and UEFA so I can't see that ever changing.

retired_jessicadon

Only just noticed this thread. wtf are they doing?

What imps said really, but we know it won't happen.

retired_2symonds

I edited the title, it was previously "Common sense 1 Platini 0"

retired_jessicadon

Ahhh i remember that one. Anything where Platini is proved to be a clueless tit who would cry if you brushed past him is fine. Probably bruises like a peach the weird looking tool.

You seem to make it nearly understandable there Ter, wp.