UEFA confirm key Champions League changes that will affect Arsenal chances

UEFA have confirmed the details for the upcoming Champions League campaign as Arsenal are set to enter the new-look competition. The Gunners finished second in the Premier League after Manchester City avoided an upset on the final day to earn a record-breaking fourth consecutive English top-flight crown.

This season will be the latest key change to the elite European competition and its most dramatic alteration since the name changed from European Cup to Champions League and its current format. From this campaign, 36 teams will enter the competition and be drawn into a 36-team league phase.

In guidance released by the football governing body, the final ranking in the league phase determines which 24 teams advance to the knockout phase and their seeding position for the knockout phase. The points system will remain the same with three points per win and one point per draw.

Each team will play eight games against eight different opponents - four at home and four away. The Champions League and Europa League will follow the same model where teams are seeded into four pots of nine teams by their five-year UEFA club coefficient with the Champions League holders going automatically into pot one.

Arsenal are currently 22nd in the coefficient tables with 72,000 points. Manchester City (first), Liverpool (fifth) Chelsea (10th), and Manchester United (11th) all score highly with City and Liverpool joining the Gunners in the Champions League.

Each team will be drawn against two opponents from each of the four pots, they will play one of those teams at home or away. The pots are drawn containing teams of similar strength to guarantee the opponents are equally balanced for all teams.

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At the end of the league phase in the Champions League, teams placed one to eight in the ranking quality directly for the Round of 16. Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will compete in a two-legged playoff to reach the last-16 and those below 25th will be eliminated from the competition.

To strengthen the competition and provide more sporting incentives. The table for the knockout seeding will be formed based on the final ranking of the league position, teams will be paired (1 and 2, 3 and 4 etc.) and split into opposite parts of the draw.

If a club enters the knockout playoffs, those between ninth and 16th will be seeded and play against teams between 17th and 24th, with the seeded clubs will having home advantage in the second-leg

Teams that have automatically qualified for the Round of 16 (positions one to eight) will be seeded and play the winners of each playoff, playing the second-leg at home. The Champions League knockouts will be two-legged until the final which will be held, like normal, at a neutral venue in a one-legged match.

The conversation is currently centred on player welfare and how much football is being played. In the Champions League, matches will begin in September and end in January, one matchday in September and December, two in October, November and January before knockouts through to May.