The European Club Association, whose members include Manchester United, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, said its executive board unanimously endorsed UEFA’s proposal. They’ve done that, keeping them part of the confederation and Champions League at least through 2021.
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Claude Puel’s Saints will travel to Milan to face Ronald de Boer’s Internazionale, 33-time Czech champions Sparta Prague and Hapoel Be’er-Sheva, who ran Celtic close in their Champions League qualifier.
Italy is the big victor in the new agreement, which had to be completed this year to let UEFA start selling broadcasting and sponsorship rights for the 2018-21 commercial cycle. “You have maybe got the top teams from each of the different pots all in one group”.
The current format put one of the continent’s four major leagues a step behind.
City also played Monchengladbach in the group stage previous year, en route to the last four.
Jack Kelly, head of external affairs at the airport, said: “We’re delighted that Leicester City fans will be able to fly from East Midlands Airport directly to two of the three countries within the Champions League group”.
Europe’s top four leagues to be guaranteed four places in the Champions League group stage from 2018-19.
City will not have that problem at the Etihad Stadium, however, with Barcelona due to visit for the third time in four seasons and Celtic set for their first competitive fixture in the blue half of Manchester.
The changes take place from the season after next and are being seen as an attempt to head off a possible breakaway league formed by the continent’s top clubs. Right now, they could end up in the playoff round.
The coefficient system, which is used to rank the leagues and clubs, will also change, although it shouldn’t endanger the top four leagues.
Celtic winger Scott Sinclair is looking forward to finally taking centre stage in a Champions League game at the Etihad Stadium after being drawn against his former club, Manchester City.
“I don’t really have a point to prove but being in the Champions League and being involved is much better on a personal level than when I was at City”, Sinclair told his club’s official website.
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All of these moves make for a major change to to the competition. Despite calls for a “Super League” to be introduced in recent years, the reforms stop short of offering established clubs automatic progression on stature alone.
