UEFA reportedly has plans in the pipeline for a major shake-up to the Champions League group stage by turning it into a 14-match format.
And those who finish in fifth would qualify for next year’s tournament, with sixth place and seventh place playing against one another to determine who would stay in the competition next season.
Finally, the bottom team would drop into the Europa League playoff rounds for the following season.
The proposed change would mean that teams would play a minimum of 14 matches in the competition and 21 wins needed to secure the Champions League trophy.
The newspaper reports that UEFA is still backing the idea of introducing a third tier of European football alongside the Champions League and Europa League.
If the plans were adopted, then continental fixtures per season would increase from 407 to a whopping 647.
The League Cup could be threatened with the increased number of fixtures that Premier League teams would have to compete in.
The European Club Association has backed down from the demand of more fixtures being played on the weekends, with the Premier League keen to retain all 20 teams for the League Cup.
But England’s top teams might have to withdraw from the competition to manage the extra European fixtures or play their younger players in matches.
Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli is spearheading the plan, with UEFA able to capitalise on the profit from sponsors and broadcasters.
The Sun says that UEFA and the ECA want to move forward with a ‘concrete proposal’ by November.
“But they know it would damage the Premier League, the EFL, even the National League. It is about helping to keep the whole game alive.”
The group stage draw for this season’s Champions League will take place in Monaco on Thursday night.
And the Europa League draw will be made on Friday morning in Monaco.
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