According to the new format, the Champions League play-off round is no longer randomly drawn but based on rankings in the qualifying round.
Teams ranked from 9th to 24th are divided into two groups: seeded (9-16) and non-seeded (17-24). The seeded group has the advantage of playing the second leg at home, but in return is extremely high pressure when the risk of being eliminated is always present.
The notable change of UEFA lies in the complete removal of national barriers. Teams in the same league can face each other right from the play-off round, even rematch with opponents they have met in the qualifying round. This makes the play-off round more unpredictable than ever.
In theory, Inter Milan and Real Madrid are considered easier when they can only meet the two bottom-ranked teams like Benfica or Bodo/Glimt. But in the Champions League, all subjectivity has a heavy price to pay. The proof is that Real themselves once lost shockingly 2-4 to Benfica in the last round of the qualifying round and fell into the group that had to play in the play-offs.
PSG and Newcastle United are also predicted to not have an easy journey when the play-off round also has names capable of creating changes such as Atletico Madrid, Juventus or Bayer Leverkusen.
Not only stopping at a place to continue, the play-off results also directly shape the 1/8 round situation. Teams that have gone straight like Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Arsenal or Barcelona can completely soon face Real Madrid or PSG, creating early finals.
