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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Miguel Delaney

UNCOVERED: Underwhelming champions league draw shows why uefa has changed format - The Untold Story

UEFA Champions League the Champions League Fifa Real Sociedad Paris Saint-Germain Arsenal Atletico Madrid Bayern Munich Lazio Manchester United
AP

As Uefa completed the Champions League draw and then proclaimed “the greatest club competition in the world” by rote rather than any instinctive emotional response, there wasn’t really any great tie to look forward to.

Perhaps the most alluring is Napoli vs Barcelona, but that’s only because the champions of Italy and Spain are having relatively poor seasons. It brings a rare unpredictability. There is otherwise no Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain of 2018 or 2022, or Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid of 2020. There certainly aren’t the more even ties of a decade ago, when clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Real Sociedad could keep better teams together just that bit longer.

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