A 36-team table looks bloated. Much of it can feel meaningless. And yet in an attempt to decipher a new format, one conclusion feels clear. A top-eight finish is preferable: to avoid the fixture congestion of an extra round, to dodge a potentially awkward tie with one of the best of the rest or a superpower who underperforms in the league format of the Champions League.
If a revamped tournament was supposed to feature more clashes between the elite at an early stage, Wednesday has a tie with teams who possess a legitimate claim to be among the best eight in Europe. They were, after all, both quarter-finalists last year. To add to their lustre, they are two of the 12 clubs who have reached a Champions League final in the last decade. One has a Champions League-winning manager, the other a double Champions League finalist. This might be a cruise towards the latter stages.
