The Champions League is back, but with a little twist. Now, if you’re wondering how it’s gonna work, let me explain. So the group stage will now be like a league format. That’s every team playing two sides from each part, meaning eight games in total against eight separate opponents, four being at home and four being away. However, teams still cannot play against sides in their own country at this stage, and can only play a maximum of two teams from any one other nation. For example, Bayern Munich sat in Part 1 could theoretically play Manchester City at home and Real Madrid away from part 1, Atletico Madrid away and Arsenal at home from Part two. 2 Sporting Lisbon away and Fenerbahce at home from Pot 3, and Aston Villa away and Monaco at home from Pot 4. So what would have been named the group of death could now be named the fixtures run of death. So then after the eight games are played to the top eight teams from the league table go straight through to the round of 16, leaving ninth place to 24th place to battle it out in a playoff to make up the rest of the 16. And then finally, unlike before, no teams will drop down to the Europa League. So if you are out of the competition, you’re out of Europe altogether.