UEFA have confirmed the new seeding regulations for the Champions League knockout rounds
Newcastle United await their Champions League fate
Newcastle United await their Champions League fate
UEFA has confirmed new seeding regulations for the Champions League knockout stages, having previously announced that home advantage in second legs would be determined by merit rather than random draws - a departure from last season's rules.
According to ESPN, UEFA has now ratified these new seeding regulations, but stopped short of giving full advantage to teams finishing highest in the league phase.
Teams ranked first to fourth are assured of playing at home for both the round of 16 and quarter-finals, provided they advance. If they are knocked out, the team that defeats them in the round of 16 will inherit their second-leg home advantage.
However, only teams finishing first or second are guaranteed home advantage in the semi-finals' second leg, assuming they reach that stage, reports the Liverpool Echo.
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Newcastle await their Champions League fate, with the draw for the eight league fixtures made on August 28, following the qualification rounds.
Eddie Howe at least knows they will have no 'group of death' repeat this time around after they were drawn against PSG, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan two years ago.
Now, each side will play two teams from each of the four seeded pots, ensuring a more varied level of opposition. All sides will be in a 36-team league, with the top eight automatically qualifying for the last-16 stage.
Sides finishing in ninth to 24th will play-off for the remaining eight places in knockout rounds.
However, while the new regulations on seeding help on some levels, they also create an imbalance, disadvantaging the sides who finish third and fourth as it will be impossible for them to be at home in a semi-final second leg.
Similarly, the teams that finish fifth and six, while bypassing the knockout phase play-offs and obtaining a second-leg home advantage in the round of 16, they would then have to be away from home in the second legs in both the quarter and semi-finals.
Only the sides who finish in the following positions can get a home second leg in the semi-final, courtesy of how the knockout phase draw is done: first, second, seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 23rd, 24th.
Therefore, there is now a greater incentive to finish in the top two. However, if you don't finish in the top two, it becomes a bit more complex when it comes to whether or not your league position actually results in much of an advantage in the knock out stages.