Arteta - Champions League format adds challenge

Mikel Arteta has said he expects the new format of the Champions League to have a big effect on match preparation this season, as the players cope with a new schedule and extended workload.

We will play at least eight matches in European competition in 2024/25, and it could be as many as 17 if we make it all the way to the Champions League final in Munich next May.

The group stage has been replaced by a 36-strong single league – each side plays eight other teams just once, with four games at home and four away.

The top eight then go straight into the last 16 and the next 16 teams play off for the right to join them, while the bottom 12 teams are eliminated from European football altogether.…