Soccer Football - Premier League - West Ham United v Arsenal - London Stadium, London, Britain - February 11, 2024 West Ham United manager David Moyes looks dejected after the match Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
David Moyes’ side are a goal down from the first leg as they bid for more European glory, having won the Conference League last season and reached the Europa League semi-finals in the campaign before.
But it is not just West Ham’s season that hinges on the outcome.
Domestic rivals Tottenham and Aston Villa will be paying close attention, as will Brighton, Wolves, Newcastle and Chelsea.
This is because the result could turn out to be crucial in deciding which country gets one of Uefa’s coveted new European performance spots and an extra place in Europe.
How is the Champions League format changing?
Since 2003-04, the group phase has involved eight groups, each containing four clubs, with each team playing the other three home and away and the top two advancing to the knockout phase.
Next year, there will be 36 clubs competing in what is known as a ‘Swiss’ format, with teams playing eight matches against eight different opponents, with four home games and four away.
The top eight clubs will progress straight into the last 16, with those from ninth to 24th meeting in two-leg play-offs and the winners advancing.
How are the extra places decided?
The Champions League has four new places to fill because of its expansion.
Two extra places will go to the best-performing leagues in Europe this season. Realistically, the additional places will go to two nations out of Germany, Italy, Spain and England.
This means the team who finish fifth in the Premier League this season could automatically qualify for the Champions League.
Uefa’s association coefficient rankings – based on the results of all European clubs in Uefa competitions – decide which two leagues will benefit from the additional places.
Every win by a club from a nation is worth two points and a draw is worth one point.
Bonus points are then accrued by progressing through various stages of each competition, with it weighted in favour of teams performing well in the Champions League, then the Europa League and then the Europa Conference League.
All points earned by clubs from each country are added up before being divided by the number of teams from that nation in Europe – eight in the Premier League’s case.
Additionally, one place will go to the third-placed team in the domestic league ranked fifth in the Uefa coefficient – currently France.
