PSV and Ajax Will Know Their Eight Opponents in The Champions League Main Tournament on Thursday Evening. Instead of Balls, The Computer Plays a Leading Role in the Draw. This is how it works.
The Champions League Entered a New Era Last Year. Previously, the names of 32 clubs were well in a ball. The clubs were then divided into Eight Groups of Four teams. The Two Best Teams From Each Group Went to the Round of 16.
That traditional setup of the world’s biggest club Tournament Has Been completely overhauled. Now 36 Teams All Play Eight Matches Against Eight Opponents: Four at Home and Four Away.
The Numbers One to Eight Qualify Directly for the Round of 16. The Numbers 9 to 24 Go to the Play-Off Round. The rest are eliminated.
This means more matches, more income and also a different draw. Accordance to uefa, as a many as a thousand balls and 36 bins would be needed if the old way of drawing was applied to the new competition format.
Preliminary Pot Allocation (36 Teams Known)
Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Internazionale, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and FC Barcelona
Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus and Eintracht Frankfurt
Pot 2/3 : Tottenham Hotspur
Pot 3: PSV, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, FK Bodø/Glimt and Olympique Marseille
Pot 4: AS Monaco, Galatasaray, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Athletic Club, Newcastle United, Pafos FC and Kairat Almaty
Computer Draws Two Clubs From Each Pot
That is why a computer was created to perform the draw. The Teams Are Still Divided Into Four Pots in Advance and A (Former) Top Football Player Still Draws A Team From A Ball, But After That It Is The Computer’s Turn. Last year Cristiano Ronaldo Pressed the Button.
The computer links the relevant team to the eight opponents. This is done via automated software. A Team Plays Against Two Teams From Each Pot. The computer also determines which matches are at home and away.
The computer starts in pot 1 and stops when all teams know their eight opponents. PSV and Ajax Are Both in Pot 3 and Will Therefore Play a Few Tough Matches Anyway. A Dutch Get-Together Remains Out: Clubs from the Same Country Cannot Be Linked to Each Other.