Jürgen Klopp has made it clear he wants Liverpool back in the Champions League, but the Red Devils may not need to finish in the top four to do so.
Liverpool's path to securing a place in next season's UEFA Champions League may not only depend on their position in the Premier League.
Liverpool almost missed out on qualifying for the Champions League last season, finishing fifth. Jürgen Klopp has clear goals of his own to return to the top four in the Premier League, saying ahead of Chelsea's opener:
"We don't play in the Champions League and nobody wants to hear that but for a club like Liverpool it's a blow. It's not cool at all. In the world we live in, with groups of unlimited resources, nobody wants to hear that, but they have and have different circumstances."
However, the Red Devils could qualify for Europe's elite league even if they don't make the top four. The Champions League format is expected to see significant changes from the 2024/25 season. . One of the major changes is to increase the number of participating teams, from 32 to 36.
This expansion creates four additional spaces to claim, giving teams outside the traditional top four a chance to qualify for the Champions League. Two of these additional slots will be awarded to teams from countries whose clubs have performed exceptionally well in UEFA competitions during the previous season. Therefore, if a Premier League team succeeds in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League this season, that team will finish 5th in the Premier League and earn a Champions League spot for next season.
If this rule were implemented for the current season, Liverpool's fifth place would be enough to secure a Champions League spot thanks to Manchester City's Champions League win and West Ham United's victory in the Conference League.
Similarly, Atalanta, who finished fifth in Serie A, should have benefited from Inter Milan reaching the Champions League final, while AS Roma and Fiorentina reached the Europa League and Europa League finals respectively. Conference League.
While Liverpool can still secure Champions League spot by winning the Europa League this season, they could also benefit from this new rule change if they finish outside of the top four and fail to win the European Silver Cup. - The Europa League is the only title that has knocked Klopp out since arriving in 2016.
Interestingly, the rule change is likely to result in seven Premier League clubs entering next season's Champions League. However, this scenario would require the Champions League and Europa League winners to come from the Premier League and finish outside the top 5 in the domestic league.
The revised format for the 2024/25 season, known as the "Swiss model", will eliminate the traditional Champions League group stage. Instead, all 36 participating teams will be placed in a single ranking.
Each team will play eight matches, divided equally at home and away. The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the Round of 16, while the ninth to 24th places will face off in a home and away match to determine the remaining eight qualifying spots. direct. The increase in the number of competitors will certainly have a significant impact on the already busy football schedule. The total number of Champions League matches will increase from 125 to 189 from the 2024/25 season.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0