'Is this the season the Champions League format is changing?'
It's the question which feels like it has been on the lips of football daft fans for quite some time. The sweeping changes from UEFA led by Aleksander Ceferin have long been whispered and now it's almost here. We are into our final season of the old way – the traditional 32-team format with eight groups of four has been in place for 20 years but now Celtic, Rangers or another Premiership side hell-bent on gatecrashing the party will experience a new frontier.
Those of a certain vintage will remember there used to be two group stage sections for teams to navigate. But multiple group stage hurdles appear straightforward compared to what clubs across Europe are going to be faced with as Ceferin's vision comes to life. And, make no mistake about it, the world's richest tournament's facelift comes with a risk, with some of the biggest clubs still itching to form a breakaway European Super League. The current landscape of mistrust is akin to the plot of a gripping HBO box set.
