UEFA are set to make a key change to the format of their Champions League knockout phase ties for the 2025/26 season.
The competition introduced a brand-new league phase last term, which, on the whole, was a resounding success.
Where clubs finish in the league phase itself after eight rounds of fixtures, though, is now set to have more bearing in the latter stages of the Champions League.
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Indeed, in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, which team plays away in the first leg and at home in the second will be determined by whoever finished higher in the league phase, claims ESPN.
That wasn't the case last term, and thus, the value of where teams finished in the table was diluted. It will now take on more importance.
The alteration is said to have been agreed upon by UEFA's club competitions committee ahead of last Saturday's Champions League final in Munich. Approval will reportedly be confirmed by the executive committee before the 2025/26 league phase draw.
To qualify for the Champions League in the upcoming campaign, Celtic will have to negotiate a nerve-shredding play-off tie.
They are due to be seeded and could face the likes of FC Basel, Sturm Graz, FCSB, Lech Poznan, Slovan Bratislava and Rijeka, although the confirmed list of potential opponents will be revealed nearer the time.
Brendan Rodgers' men are looking to make it into European football's premier club competition for the fourth season running. It would be a Celtic first if they manage to do so.
