Champions League changes play-off rules: how it will affect Ukrainian clubs.

Return of the Champions League

According to The Sun: The Champions League is back on Tuesday evening, and already in the group stage we await a new rule that will heighten the excitement in the fight to advance.

Last year, with the new format of the group stage, we witnessed a plethora of impressive matches that captivated fans.

With the introduction of the new rule, teams will gain a home-field advantage in the play-off stage depending on their results in the group stage.

Some fans noted that the old format seemed insufficiently tense, as the results of the group stage did not significantly impact the later rounds. UEFA took these concerns into account and implemented a new rule that will affect teams all the way to the semi-finals.

Now those who finish higher in their groups will be able to expect an advantage in home matches during the play-offs.

It is expected that the new rules will encourage teams to play more aggressively to maintain their chances for a positive result in the group and improve goal difference.

This way, teams will not be able to field weakened lineups midway through the group stage, as it could affect their position ahead of the play-offs.

Implications of the new rule for Arsenal

This change could significantly impact Arsenal's situation had it been in force last season. Arsenal finished third in the group, only losing to Barcelona and Liverpool.

However, in the quarter-finals, the team found itself in an unfavorable situation, playing away against the reigning champions Real Madrid, who finished the group stage eight spots lower.

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Although Arsenal successfully passed that test with a score of 5-1 on aggregate, in the next round they again faced a similar situation against PSG, who won the trophy.

PSG finished 15th in the group but played the second match at home, where they secured a 3-1 victory on aggregate.

Mikel Arteta hopes that this season Arsenal can replicate a successful group stage and take advantage of the new rules to finally secure a European trophy.

They will kick off their campaign in Spain against Athletic Club on Tuesday, but the team will be without Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, Ben White, and Kai Havertz, who have all already picked up injuries this season.