Back for another year - and a slightly different setup once again.
The idea of the Champions League was a 5AS game for the second half of the season where every team, apart from the few who prequalified, have the same chance regardless of how they performed in the first 19 gameweeks. The Champions League format (group then knockout) was chosen for convenience.
The exact format has always been fluid - dependent on 5AS numbers - so this year I'm trying to pin it down a bit more while keeping as many teams involved for as long as possible.
This year will now have 2 competitions:-
Champions League - 16 teams - Group & Knockout
Europa League - remaining teams - League & Knockout
Whether a team plays in The Champions League or Europa League is mostly* dependent on their performance in GW20-26 (7GWs)
* -Qualification to Champions League has already been secured by the 2016/17 winners The Reprobates and in place of the 2016/17 H2H The Aristocrats we have the winners of the H2H GW4 Booster The Compadres
The top 14 teams (combined points including transfer deductions) in GW20-26 will join them in the Champions League - the remaining 18 will enter the Europa Cup.
Champions League - 16 teams
Group Stages (6GWs - GW27-32 - 4 groups of 4 - top 2 qualify for KO Stages)
Knockout Stages (QF GW33/34, SF GW35/36 & F GW37/38)
Europa League - 18 teams
League Stage (6GWs - GW27-32 - Top 8 qualify for KO Stages)
Knockout Stages (QF GW33/34, SF GW35/36 & F GW37/38)
More details to come (seeding etc) but thought I'd better get this going as we're a couple of GWs in already - they're going a bit quick at the moment.
(I hope this works)
