Champions League draw could create stellar league phase matchups; Liverpool finally active in transfer window

Hello there! It's the last week of August, so you know what that means -- it's time to talk the UEFA Champions League draw and transfer deadline day. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a midweek check-in as the off-field action takes center stage.

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All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, Aug. 28
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EFL Cup: Nottingham Forest vs. Newcastle, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL qualifiers: Crvena zvezda vs. Bodo/Glimt, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇸 La Liga: Atleti vs. Espanyol, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇺🇸 U.S. Open Cup: Seattle Sounders vs. LAFC, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV+

Thursday, Aug. 29
🇪🇺 UCL: League Phase draw, 12 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇸 La Liga: Las Palmas vs. Real Madrid, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+

⚽ The Forward Line

🇪🇺 Champions League draw returns with a new look

The UEFA Champions League draw is always a fixture of soccer's late summer activities, but this year's edition is not like the ones that came before it. Out goes the group stage and in comes the league phase, which teases more high-stakes comPetition at earlier stages of the comPetition in UEFA's new format that also includes four more teams.

The new-look draw kicks off from the same starting point as the ones before it by sorting all the participating teams into four pots, though each pot will now have nine teams rather than eight. The teams will still be sorted by their UEFA club coefficients minus reigning champions Real Madrid, who automatically slot into Pot 1 but likely would have landed in that spot without their 15 European title. With four slots yet to be filled in the league phase, here's how the pots look ahead of Thursday's draw.

• Pot 1: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Barcelona
• Pot 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan
• Pot 3: Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven, Red Bull Salzburg, Young Boys, Celtic
• Pot 4: Monaco, Sparta Prague, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest

The last four teams will qualify for the league phase on Wednesday, when Champions League qualification wraps up. As things stand, Dinamo Zagreb has a 3-0 lead over Qarabag after the first leg while Lille has a 2-0 advantage over Slavia Praha and Bodo/Glimt is up 2-1 on Crvena Zvezda. The only tie that is deadlocked heading into the day's action is Slovan Bratislava's clash with Midtjylland, with both sides scoring one goal each in the first leg.

Each team that makes it to the league phase will play eight games rather than six, facing two teams from each pot -- including their own. The new format could deliver some very enticing matchups, as our mock draw proved. Here's a look at who Real Madrid, in theory, could play in the league phase this season.

• Real Madrid home games: RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Feyenoord, Brest
• Real madrid away games: Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Young Boys, Sturm Graz

Thursday's draw will ultimately offer a glimpse at the two big questions heading into the new Champions League season. The first is the evergreen query about who will win Europe's top club prize in the spring, but the second is a newfound inquiry -- Will the new format deliver on its promise of increased competitiveness and entertainment, or will it just clog the schedule further amidst growing concerns about fixture congestion?

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🔗  Midfield Link Play

🔴 Liverpool spend on Federico Chiesa, Giorgi Mamardashvili

Liverpool may have waited until the final week of the transfer window to make their first signings of the summer, but the Reds are dominating the conversation as deadline day approaches by lining up Federico Chiesa and Giorgi Mamardashvili as new recruits.

Chiesa is close to completing a transfer from Juventus to Liverpool for a fee that could rise up to $16 million, adding to the Reds after scoring 10 goals for Juve last season and representing Italy at the Euros over the summer. The forward essentially confirmed the news by telling reporters that he was "ready for a new adventure" before boarding a flight for England on Wednesday, but as James Benge notes, breaking into the Reds' lineup will be no simple task. Chiesa's departure from Juventus feels like a concession that his big money move from Fiorentina did not work out, and the Italian will likely have to deliver on the years-old promise of his potential to prove his worth at Anfield.

• Benge: "With a year to go on his contract and [Juve manager] Thiago Motta having indicated that Chiesa is not part of his plans in the Juventus first team, the Italy international was available for what looks to be a bargain price. Only two years ago Chiesa was making a permanent switch from Fiorentina to Juventus for around $55 million, a price that itself seemed perfectly reasonable for one of the stars of Italy's Euro 2020 triumph. If Liverpool have got anything like that player, one who averaged a goal or assist every 150 minutes of Serie A football in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, then they will have snared a bargain to compare with any of the best deals that football chief executive Michael Edwards has made. A few months after the blistering high of Wembley Stadium, however, Chiesa suffered a significant ACL injury. Over the two subsequent seasons he would manage just 1710 minutes of league football, his production taking a nose dive as he worked himself back to full fitness."

Once the deal goes through, Chiesa would become Liverpool's second signing of the summer -- and of the week. The Reds officially signed Georgia goalkeeper Mamardashvili, weeks after impressing in his country's first-ever European championship, for a fee of $33 million from Valencia and immediately loaned him back to the Spanish club for the season. The loan signals that the 23-year-old Mamardashvili's services are not immediately needed, making him an unexpected first signing in the post-Jurgen Klopp era but Liverpool seem ready to build for the future with this signing. The 31-year-old Alisson remains the team's first choice in goal but may not be much longer -- though he said he plans to finish out his contract, which runs until 2026 with an option year, Alisson did admit he seriously considered a move to Saudi Arabia this summer.

Liverpool's fresh arrival to the transfer market adds some new intrigue as Friday's deadline approaches, and hopefully teases an exciting final few days of the window as everyone switches back to the cadence of the club game after a summer of international tournaments.

🔗  Top Stories

🇺🇾 RIP Juan Izquierdo: Nacional's Juan Izquierdo died aged 27, days after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field during his side's Copa Libertadores match against Sao Paulo.

🤝 Deadline day preview: Here's a look at the storylines to follow ahead of Friday's deadline, including Manuel Ugarte's impending move to Manchester United, Victor OSimhen's potential Napoli departure, the rumored Raheem Sterling-Jadon Sancho swap deal and Matt Turner's Nottingham Forest future.

✍️ Done deals: Arsenal signed Mikel Merino from Real Scoiedad, while Joao Cancelo is close to Barcelona for Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal -- and Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman could be next to join the Saudi Pro League.

🏠 Staying put: Weston McKennie will stay at Juventus after being told he was surplus earlier this summer, while Jacob Kiwior will still be in the mix for Arsenal this season. Plus, a look at Gio Reyna's club future after Borussia Dortmund's sporting director said he could be an important player this season.

🇺🇸 USMNT GKs: With Matt Turner's playing time in question at the club level, here's a look at the USMNT's goalkeeper power rankings as the likes of Ethan Horvath and Gaga Slonina make moves.

⚪ Real Madrid's attack: Real Madrid boast the most star-studded attacking group in the game, but it forces the question: Does Kylian Mbappe's addition pose challenges to their offensive balance?

🆕 NWSL free agency: The NWSL dropped a new list of free agents ahead of the 2025 season, days after introducing unrestricted free agency through a new collective bargaining agreement.

👍 The best of times: Juventus are off to a winning start under new manager Thiago Motta, while Crystal Palace advanced to the next round of the EFL Cup after a big win over Norwich City.

👎 The worst of times: After opening the season by conceding seven goals and scoring zero, it's time to ask: Should we be worried about Everton?

🟡 Diego Rossi interview: The Columbus Crew's Diego Rossi checks into Morning Footy after his team's Leagues Cup triumph and to discuss the maté obsession amongst the squad.

🔵🔴 Olmo's return: Dani Olmo marked his long-awaited Barcelona return with a goal, scoring the game-winner in the team's come-from-behind win over Rayo Vallecano.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• La Liga: Las Palmas vs. Real Madrid, Thursday, 3:30 p.m.
  💰 THE PICK: Rodrygo to score (+140) -- Real Madrid are stacked with attacking talent so any one of them could score, but while we wait for Kylian Mbappe to snap a little scoring drought to start life in La Liga, one of his teammates is already living up to the billing -- Rodrygo. Expect the Brazil international to turn up again on Thursday in the early stages of Real Madrid's title defense, even if his high-profile teammates also find the back of the net.
• UEFA Champions League: 2024-25 champions

💰 THE PICK: Arsenal to win the Champions League (+900) -- The Champions League league phase might still be weeks away, but this season's trophy feels like it is either Manchester City or Real Madrid's to win. While the odds for those two to win Europe's top club competition are essentially neck-and-neck, Arsenal are a distant third but boast better odds than the rest of the field to shake things up this season. Five years after Mikel Arteta took the helm, the Gunners are starting to perfect a defense-first game plan and added a batch of signings over the summer to add to their win now strategy. It may be a long shot, but if there's one long shot to pick here, it just might be Arsenal.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.   

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