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      Watch incredible moment goalkeeper scores late equaliser as former Champions League club rebuild in FOURTH tier

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      BORDEAUX goalkeeper Lassana Diabate scored a dramatic late equaliser to save a point for his struggling side that fell from grace this summer.The Girondins are one of France’s oldest as well as biggest clubs that won the Ligue 1 title six times, but they got relegated to the fourth division this summer due to financial problems.Bordeaux goalkeeper Lassana Diabate scored a late equaliser against Stade PoitevinCredit: TV7Bordeaux played their first game in the fourth tier after their tragic relegationCredit: TV7Bordeaux keeper Diabate celebrated so passionately that he kicked a corner flag awayCredit: TV7The former Champions League side are now looking to rebuild all the way back to the top flight, and started with a dramatic league opener on Saturday.Bordeaux hosted Stade Poitevin away from their Matmut Atlantique ground due to logistical reasons.Therefore the club started their National 2 journey at Stade Sainte Germaine behind closed doors and drew 1-1 thanks to a late goal by the unlikeliest saviour.That was none other than Diabate, 21, who left his goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time for a final set piece.Read More on FootballBordeaux were already 1-0 down and were staring at defeat which would pile on their already existing problems in the dying moments.The goalkeeper took his position inside the Poitiers area and waited for the delivery.The visitors’ poor marking as well as their keeper’s poor decision to leave his line led to Diabate’s header that hit the back of the net.The Frenchman passionately celebrated his stunning goal with his team-mates by kicking the corner flag away.Most read in FootballBankrupt Bordeaux were relegated for the second time in a month in August to the fourth tier.Problems emerged last season, with the club coming 12th in the second-level Ligue 2 but needing £35million to balance the books.Top 10 highest-paid Premier League starsAnd talks with Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group eventually broke down in July.Bankruptcy and demotion followed – initially to the third tier, which is National 1.Bordeaux went into receivership, as well as going part-time – reverting to “amateur” status after nine whole decades as a professional club.France’s federal financial watchdog, the National Directorate of Management Control, then delivered another hammer-blow last month.The NDMC acted as clubs in receivership must be “demoted to the division immediately below the one for which it would have qualified for the following season”.That meant something that was unthinkable for Bordeaux just a year ago and that was spiralling down to National 2. More

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      Champions League fixtures CONFIRMED with Arsenal handed rarely-seen Thursday night fixture as new format kicks in

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      THE dates for this season’s Champion League fixtures have been confirmed – with a major change to scheduling also being announced.Europe’s elite club competition – which was won by Real Madrid last season – returns next month.The new format Champions League draw took place on ThursdayCredit: GettyArsenal learned their fate in the draw along with Aston Villa, Liverpool and Man CityCredit: APThe Gunners have been handed a rare Thursday night fixture to kick off their campaignCredit: GETTYPremier League quartet Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City learned their fates for this season’s instalment of the competition, the first outing of the new 36-team league format, this week.But for the first time in the modern era, there’s been a major change to the scheduling of games.Due to the increased number of teams in the tournament, games will now be played on Tuesday, Wednesday and THURSDAY nights.And Arsenal will be the first English team to play Champions League footie on a Thursday night.READ MORE UCL NEWSThe Gunners will kick off their campaign away to last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta on Thursday, September 19.Aston Villa and Liverpool will both be in action on Tuesday, September 17, travelling to Switzerland and Italy respectively to take on Young Boys and AC Milan.Premier League champions Manchester City, meanwhile, will welcome Inter Milan to the Etihad the following night.As well as their match with Atalanta, the Gunners will also be on the road for their clashes with Inter, Girona and Sporting Lisbon.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSMikel Arteta’s troops will welcome Shakhtar Donetsk, GNK Dinamo, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain to the Emirates.In addition to their trip to Young Boys, Villa will be on the road against RB Leipzig, Club Brugge and Monaco.The new Champions League format explainedBayern Munich, Juventus Bologna and Celtic will be the 1982 tournament winners’ opposition at Villa Park.Liverpool’s proverbial ‘Group of Death’ will also see them travel to Spain, the Netherlands and Germany to take on Girona, PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig.Arne Slot’s lot will welcome Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Bologna at Anfield.Manchester City, meanwhile, face away days to Juventus, Sporting Lisbon, Slovan Bratislava and Paris Saint-Germain.The 2022/23 winners will also host Club Brugge, Feyenoord and Sparta Prague at the Etihad.New Champions League formatEach club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.The new Champions League format also sees the implication of two additional qualifying spots.They will be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season. More

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      Cristiano Ronaldo leaves fans stunned as he wears £6MILLION worth of diamonds at Champions League draw

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO wore diamond jewellery worth £6million to the Champions League draw.The Al-Nassr star flew from Saudi Arabia to Monaco for last night’s event as he played a key role in launching the competition’s new format.Cristiano Ronaldo caught the eye in £6m worth of jewellery at the Champions League drawCR7 was give the role as ‘button presser’ during the drawCredit: APHis watch costs a whopping £2.2mCredit: AFPThe legend’s pin badge was made of a 33-carat diamondCredit: ReutersRonaldo was given the role of pressing the all-important supercomputer button as AI did the draw for every team.CR7 was also handed an award for being the Champions League’s all-time leading goalscorer.And the 39-year-old dressed to impress for his appearance on stage, looking dapper in a stylish suit.Ronaldo’s outfit was accompanied by three stunning diamonds worth a combined £6m.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL£3.8m pin badgeHis most expensive item was a £3.8million Messika Akh-Ba-Ka brooch.The decorative pin contained a stunning 33-carat diamond cut from a rare 110-carat rough stone in Botswana.It was initially part of a necklace that featured 2,550 diamonds.£2.2m watch Ronaldo’s watch also caught the eye, which was a £2.2m Franck Muller Cintree Tourbilon piece.Most read in Champions LeagueFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSWatches from the brand have been worn by the likes of David Beckham, Elton John and Kanye West. Ronaldo’s watch is made from 150 layers of compressed carbon fibers and 18k gold.Cristiano Ronaldo arrives at Champions League draw£6.5k earrings And Ronaldo’s luxury accessory collection was completed by Messika So Move Pave earrings valued at a £6,500.They have been described as a “timeless” piece and are made of 18-carat white gold.Ronaldo’s jewellery was made from 18-carat goldCredit: GettyGeor DroppingRonaldo was all smiles as he was presented with his glittering award and while on a yacht with his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez.His long-term partner complemented her stunning white dress with a Night Owl necklace and earrings from the Midnight Sun High Jewellery collection.Prices of necklaces from the range vary from £1,700 to £11,000.Despite the glam evening, fans were convinced Manchester United and Real Madrid legend Ronaldo looked “bored” by his mundane task during the draw.Georgina Rodriguez posed with Ronaldo and his award on a yachtCredit: InstagramShe dazzled in a white dress and diamond necklaceCredit: Instagram More

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      Europa League draw in full as Man Utd face Mourinho reunion and Tottenham handed tricky away ties in new format

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      MANCHESTER UNITED and Tottenham have discovered their fate in the new-look Europa League with the Red Devils pitted against former boss Jose Mourinho.The draw also produced two blockbuster Battle of Britains with both Man Utd and Spurs to face Rangers in the league phase.The new-look Europa League draw took place on FridayCredit: GettyManchester United qualified for the Europa League through winning the FA CupCredit: GettyTottenham are preparing for their first European campaign under Ange PostecoglouCredit: AlamyMan Utd will face former manager Jose Mourinho and ex-midfielder Fred when they head to FenerbahceCredit: Getty – ContributorErik ten Hag’s men will host the Scottish giants while Ange Postecoglou’s side travel to Glasgow.Follow SunSport’s live blog of the Europa League drawMan Utd will head to Mourinho’s Fenerbahce where ex-Red Devils midfielder Fred also plies his trade.Manchester United’s remaining fixtures will see them travel to Porto, Viktoria Plzen and Twente, as well as hosting PAOK, Bodo/Glimtand FCSB.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLSpurs face some tricky European away days as they prepare to head to Turkish giants Galatasaray and German side Hoffenheim.They also go to Hungary to play Ferencvaros.Tottenham will host Roma, AZ Alkmaar, Qarabag and Elfsborg.And Postecoglou, who managed Celtic before joining Spurs, joked he is expecting a “warm reception” from the Rangers fans when his side head north of the border.Most read in Europa LeagueHe said: “Exciting. It’s good to be a part of. Some good games.CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSNew Europa League format explainedTHE Europa League has been given a revamp this season, with a whole new group-stage format.All 36 teams are in one big league.Each team will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.At the end of the league phase, the top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.The bottom 12 teams are eliminated from Europe entirely.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.The knockout phase of the tournament remains the same as previous years.”I am sure I will get a warm reception at Ibrox and they’ll look forward to seeing me.”The competition will follow the same format as the new Champions League, with all 36 teams playing eight matches in the “league phase”.Fans in hysterics as they spot PSG president’s reaction to brutal Champions League draw on live TVThe top eight progress straight through to the last-16, with ninth to 24th going into a play-off round.The bottom eight teams are immediately eliminated.Another change means no Champions League sides will drop down into the Europa League this season.On Thursday, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa learned their Champions League fixtures.SunSport has a full breakdown of the fixture list for each of the English clubs here.Man Utd failed to earn European football through their Premier League position last season after they finished eighth.But their FA Cup triumph over Man City salvaged Europa League football for Ten Hag’s men.READ MORE SUN STORIESTottenham qualified for the Europa League by finishing fifth in the Premier League, two points adrift of the Champions League places.This year’s final will take place in Bilbao on May 21. More

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      Conference League clash suspended as police evacuate entire away stand after shameful scenes

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      POLICE have evacuated away yobs after a Conference League clash was suspended.The tie between NK Olimpija Ljubljana and HNK Rijeka was brought to a halt after flares were thrown into the home stands.A Conference League clash was suspendedCredit: xFlares were thrown into one of the standsCredit: xThe Rijeka hooligans were escorted out by policeCredit: xThe match was stopped in the 65th minute, and the players were taken into the dressing rooms.Reports online have claimed that the Rijeka hooligans started to fight with police who were confronting them.The yobs were then escorted out of the Stožice Stadium in Slovenia.The suspension of the match lasted 26 minutes and was restarted with the away stand empty of fans.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSFans slammed the actions of the away hooligans as they reacted on social media.One posted: “Just call off the game.”A second wrote: “This is the biggest disaster in Croatian football since I can remember. Shame.”A third commented: “Croatia should be banned from football.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSA fourth said: “Those idiots have acted shamefully.”Another added: “I hope those supporters that were near the flares are okay.”The Sun’s Shaun Custis and Martin Lipton break down the new changes for the UEFA Champions League format for 2024/25The yobs were slammed by fans onlineThe match was suspended for nearly half an hourThe incident did little to dampen the joy of the Olimpija supporters.Their team has romped into a 5-0 lead inside the first half with the score 6-1 on aggregate.Raul Florucz opened the scoring in the 2nd minute before goals from Thalisson Charles Alves Moreira (x2), Dino Kojic and Perdo Lucas put the result to bed.Elsewhere in the competition, Chelsea took on Swiss side Servette in the second leg of their play-off tie.The Blues were forced to stream the match for free for their supporters due to a website error.New Champions League formatEach club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.The new Champions League format also sees the implication of two additional qualifying spots.They will be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season. More

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      Champions League fans ‘entertained by how bored Cristiano Ronaldo looks’ after being given mundane task in new draw

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      FOOTIE fans couldn’t get over just how bored Cristiano Ronaldo looked during the Champions League draw.The five-time Ballon d’Or winner played a key role in the draw in Monaco after receiving a gong for being the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer.Cristiano Ronaldo played a big part in the Champions League draw along with former team-mate Gianluigi BuffonCredit: APRonaldo was tasked with pressing the all-important magic button to help finalise the groupsCredit: APBut he cut a bored figure on several occasions during the near hour-long drawCredit: TNT SPORTSRonaldo’s enthusiasm for the draw quickly wanedCredit: GETTYHis lack of interest quickly became the talk of social mediaCredit: GETTYThe Portuguese superstar was dressed to the nines as he was tasked with the job of pressing the all-important supercomputer button.Ronaldo was required to push the button every time his former Juventus team-mate Gianluigi Buffon drew a team out of the four seeded pots.The Manchester United and Real Madrid legend initially cut an enthusiastic figure, although his eagerness waned as the draw dragged on.The 39-year-old had a vacant look on his face several times when his services weren’t required.READ MORE UCL NEWSAnd his boredom was clear and evident when German giants Borussia Dortmund were learning their fate.The forward looked unbothered as he leaned against the table and placed one hand on his hip.His boredom didn’t go unnoticed, with one viewer of the draw saying: “Ronaldo is killing me, he’s so so bored.”Another said: “Ronaldo is SO bored of standing there pressing the same button every 2 minutes.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSNew Champions League formatEach club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.The new Champions League format also sees the implication of two additional qualifying spots.They will be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season.And another said: “Ronaldo already looks bored lol. Some Champions League draw this.”One remarked: “Only thing I like about this is Ronaldo getting bored and just pressing the button whenever he wants.”The new Champions League format explainedAnother chimed in: “Surely I’m not the only one entertained by watching Cristiano Ronaldo trying to make pressing a button over and over entertaining.”He looks so bored.”Premier League quartet Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City learned the fates for this season’s tournament during the draw.Arsenal will be away to Inter Milan, Atalanta, Girona and Sporting Lisbon and will host Shakhtar Donetsk, GNK Dinamo, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates,Aston Villa, meanwhile, will welcome Bayern Munich, Juventus Bologna and Celtic to Villa Park in their return to Europe’s elite club competition.Unai Emery’s Villans will be away to RB Leipzig, Club Brugge, Young Boys and Monaco.Manchester City’s away days consist of clashes with Juventus, Sporting Lisbon, Slovan Bratislava and Paris Saint-Germain.The defending Premier League champions will host AC Milan, Club Brugge, Feyenoord and Sparta Prague at the Etihad.READ MORE SUN STORIESLiverpool were handed arguably the toughest draw, which includes away matches against AC Milan, Girona, PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig.The Merseysiders face difficult home matches against Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid but will fancy their chances against Bologna and Lille. More

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      Champions League draw in full as Liverpool handed nightmare fixtures and Arsenal, Man City and Aston Villa learn fate

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      THE brand new Champions League format served up a horror draw for Liverpool… and a relative doozy for Arsenal.The Gunners and the Reds – along with Aston Villa and Manchester City – learned their fates for the 2024/25 instalment of Europe’s elite club competition on Thursday evening.The draw for the 2024/25 Champions League draw has taken placeCredit: EPAThe draw for the competition took place at the Grimaldi Forum in MonacoCredit: REUERSArsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City learned their fates for this year’s instalment of the competition thanks to a supercomputerCredit: APCristiano Ronaldo played a big role in the draw, being tasked with the job of pressing the all-important buttonCredit: APFans across the continent watched on in baffled fascination as the fixtures for the competition’s new complicated 32-team league were revealed over the course of close to an hour.It involved Italian goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon drawing team’s out of a hat… before a bored-looking Cristiano Ronaldo repeatedly pushed a magic button to randomly determine which eight teams each plays.And Liverpool fans will be cursing their old Manchester United foe and his supercomputer after it dished them out arguably the toughest draw of the competition.Arne Slot’s troops face tough trips to, Italy, Germany Spain and the Netherlands to take on AC Milan, LaLiga surprise packages Girona, PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig.READ MORE UCL NEWSThe Reds will host Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Bologna at Anfield.Arsenal have been given a considerably easier draw in comparison to the Merseysiders.The Gunners face a tough trip to Italy to take on Inter Milan and Atalanta and will also be on the road for their clashes with Girona and Sporting Lisbon.While the supercomputer gave Mikel Arteta’s troops home games against Shakhtar Donetsk, GNK Dinamo, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain.Most read in FootballPremier League champions Manchester City, meanwhile, face away days to Juventus, Sporting Lisbon, Slovan Bratislava and Paris Saint-Germain.BETTING SPECIAL – GET £40 IN FREE BETS WITH BETFREDThe 2022/23 winners will host Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Feyenoord and Sparta Prague at the Etihad.Aston Villa will be on the road against RB Leipzig, Club Brugge, Young Boys and Monaco. Champions League releases new anthem as fuming fans say ‘the beautiful game has died’Fans were a little confused by the complicated new formatCredit: ReutersBayern Munich, Juventus Bologna and Celtic will be the Villans’ opposition at Villa Park.The 2024/25 instalment of the tournament kicks off the new format for Europe’s elite club competition – which now features 36 teams instead of 32.The well-known group stage format has been replaced by a SINGLE league set-up in which teams will play eight fixtures.Each side faces two teams from the four-seeded pots.In the new format, teams will play four games at home and four away.The top eight teams will secure automatic qualification for the last 16, while the ninth to 24th-placed clubs will compete in a two-legged playoff.Teams who finished in 25th place and below will be eliminated from the tournament and WON’T drop into the Europa League.That means eight teams will play TEN games to reach the last-16, rather than the traditional six.Arsenal reached the quarter-finals of the tournament last season but were dumped out by Bayern Munich 3-2 on aggregate.Manchester City, meanwhile, were also eliminated at the quarter-final stage.The Premier League champions were beaten by last season’s tournament winners Real Madrid on penalties after drawing 4-4 on aggregate.Aston Villa and Liverpool, meanwhile, weren’t in Europe’s elite club competition last season.Villa, who won the old European Cup in 1982, reached the semis of the Europa Conference League last season.READ MORE SUN STORIESUnai Emery’s troops – who sealed UCL qualification with a fourth-placed Premier League finish – were eliminated from the Conference League by Greek giants Olympiacos.Six-time winners Liverpool played in the Europa League last season and were jettisoned out of the competition at the quarter-final stage by tournament winners Atalanta. More

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      Champions League draw LIVE: Event on NOW as Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City and Aston Villa learn fixtures – latest updates

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      THE Champions League is back – and it’s here with a sparkling new format and MORE teams than ever before!Premier League sides Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Aston Villa will today learn their league phase fates – a brand-new component of Europe’s elite club competition.Jude Bellingham’s Real Madrid and Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich are also in the draw and could face some big opposition early doors. BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSFind out all the latest reaction from the Champions League draw with our live blog below…New eraUefa say the new rules will improve the tournament and help keep the Champions League as “the best for clubs, players and fans.”Copy linkCopiedTime for AIGone are the days of awkward ex-pros painstakingly fumbling around trying to open plastic balls during a snooze-fest of a draw.Now, after the first team is pulled out manually, someone presses a button and AI does the rest.Let’s hope it works! Copy linkCopiedReminder of the pots this eveningPot 1Real Madrid (ESP)Manchester City (ENG)Bayern München (GER)Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)Liverpool (ENG)Inter (ITA)Dortmund (GER)Leipzig (GER)Barcelona (ESP)Pot 2Leverkusen (GER)Atlético de Madrid (ESP)Atalanta (ITA)Juventus (ITA)Benfica (POR)Arsenal (ENG)Club Brugge (BEL)Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)AC Milan (ITA)Pot 3Feyenoord (NED)Sporting CP (POR)PSV Eindhoven (NED)GNK Dinamo (CRO)Salzburg (AUT)Lille (FRA)Crvena Zvezda (SRB)Young Boys (SUI)Celtic (SCO)Pot 4Slovan Bratislava (SVK)Monaco (FRA)Sparta Praha (CZE)Aston Villa (ENG)Bologna (ITA)Girona (ESP)Stuttgart (GER)Sturm Graz (AUT)Brest (FRA)Credit: EPACopy linkCopiedFill up your calendar The league phase:Matchday 1: 17/18/19 September Matchday 2: 1/2 October Matchday 3: 22/23 October Matchday 4: 5/6 November Matchday 5: 26/27 November Matchday 6: 10/11 December Matchday 7: 21/22 January Matchday 8: 29 January Knockout stage:Knockout round play-offs: 11/12 & 18/19 February Round of 16: 4/5 & 11/12 March Quarter-finals: 8/9 & 15/16 April Semi-finals: 29/30 April & 6/7 May Final: 31 May Copy linkCopiedRoad to MunichThe final will take place at Bayern Munich’s stunning Allianz Arena home on Saturday 31 May 2025.Copy linkCopiedChampions League ThursdayWe are used to Champions League on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the Europa and Conference on Thursday… well, even that has been changed.The majority of weeks will be in standard form – but now each competition will have one exclusive week each.This means Champions League games will be played on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during just their exclusive week, which happens to be matchday one on September 17, 18 and 19.The Europa and Conference won’t be on during those days.But they then get the same exclusive week treatment later on in the campaign.Credit: APCopy linkCopiedMore matches, more timeAs we saw in that complex and controversial Carabao Cup draw last night, the extra two matches in the revolutionised group stage will have knock on effects.We are used to the group stage being done by December – but it will now not be finished until the end of January.So fans of City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Villa – it is time to get next year’s diary out already. Copy linkCopiedLess “dead matches” Uefa are confident that this new style of European competitions will lead to less meaningless group stage games and top teams meeting each other sooner.The top eight from all 36 teams after the “league phase” go straight through into the last-16 and are seeded. Think of a tennis-like draw.Those that finish ninth to 24th get put into a play-off to join them as the non-seeds in the knockout stage.The bottom eight are out – there is no more dropping into the Europa League. Copy linkCopiedNEW Champions League draw explainedThe Sun’s Head of Sport, Shaun Custis and Chief Sports Reporter Martin Lipton take you through all the changes to this season’s Champions League.The Sun’s Shaun Custis and Martin Lipton break down the new changes for the UEFA Champions League format for 2024/25Copy linkCopiedThe stage is setToday marks the first-ever Champions League league phase draw, with 36 teams set to compete in the first stage of the huge European competition.Each club will draw two teams from each pot of the four pots, playing one match at home, and one away and eight in total.Premier League sides Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa will all learn their fate.Credit: AFPCopy linkCopiedRonaldo awardCristiano Ronaldo will be presented with an award at tonight’s Champions League draw.The five-time winner is set to be recognised for his status as the competition’s all-time leading goalscorer.Ronaldo scored 140 goals in 183 Champions League matches across a period of over 18 years.His nearest rival Lionel Messi is 11 goals back, whilst third-ranked Robert Lewandowski is 46 goals behind.Credit: APCopy linkCopiedPots explainedPots are no longer as important now the Champions League has moved to a single league table format.Being in pot one no longer increases the chances of a simple route to the last 16. Clubs will be drawn using AI against two teams from each of the four pots during today’s draw.However, they can only be drawn against no more than two clubs from the same country.Copy linkCopiedHow to watch the drawThe draw for the league phase of this season’s Champions League is coming up at 5pm from Monte Carlo, Monaco.Fans can live stream the ceremony via multiple different platforms.On traditional TV, the draw will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1.TNT Sports customers can also live stream the event via the discovery+ app and website.Fear not if you are not if you are not a TNT Sports customer – you can live stream the draw for FREE via the official TNT Sports YouTube channel.Uefa.com and BBC iPlayer will also be providing free streams of the huge event from Monaco.Copy linkCopiedDraw potsHere are the four seeded pots for today’s Champions League draw.Champions League league phase potsPot One:Real MadridManchester CityBayern MunichPSGLiverpoolInter MilanBorussia DortmundRB LeipzigBarcelonaPot Two:Bayer LeverkusenAtletico MadridAtalantaJuventusBenficaArsenalClub BruggeShakhtar DonetskAC MilanPot Three:FeyenoordSporting LisbonPSVDinamo ZagrebRed Bull SalzburgLilleRed Star BelgradeYoung BoysCelticPot Four:Slovan BratislavaMonacoSparta PragueAston VillaBolognaGironaStuttgartSturm GrazBrestCopy linkCopiedNew format explainedThis season’s Champions League introduces a new format with the group stage replaced by a league phase.There will now be one league table involving all 36 qualified teams.Each club will play eight matches during the league phase – four at home and four away.Clubs will play two teams from each pot and cannot face more than two teams from the same country.The top eight clubs will advance straight through to the last 16, with those ranked ninth to 24th going through a play-off round.Copy linkCopiedWelcomeWelcome to SunSport’s live blog for today’s Champions League league phase draw.The draw is taking place at 5pm at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, Monaco.Copy linkCopied More