The Champions League has introduced a new format for its current edition. Instead of the usual 32 teams divided into eight groups, 36 teams now participate in a league phase. This stage means that all teams will play a total of eight matches against each other, four at home and four away. At the end of these matches, a general table will be created where the top eight teams will advance directly to the round of 16. Teams finishing in ninth to twenty-fourth place will compete in a playoff round to determine the last eight teams qualifying for the next stage. Teams finishing in twenty-fifth place or lower will be eliminated without the possibility of playing in the Europa League.
Amid these changes, this Tuesday Arsenal hosts Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates Stadium in London. The match corresponds to the third matchday of the Champions League and will be broadcast live on ESPN and Disney+. The London team arrives at this match with one victory and one draw in the tournament. The probable lineups for the match are as follows:
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Havertz, Partey, Rice; Saka, Gabriel Jesus, and Gabriel Martinelli. Shakhtar Donetsk: Riznky; Augusto, Bondar, Matvyenko, Pedrinho; Bondarenko, Kryskiv; Zubkov, Sudakov, Eguinaldo; Sikan.
This new format of the Champions League is generating expectations among European football fans, as it promises more intense and competitive matches from the early stages of the tournament.
