The UEFA Women’s Champions League remains predictable. Is that a bad thing? – Equalizer Soccer

For the fourth and final time – before switching to the men’s “Swiss model” next season – the Champions League group stage will kick off this Tuesday, but for all the ‘growth’ we’ve seen over the last few years, is the competition actually offering something different? The set-up The current format splits the Champions League into three distinct phases starting with the two qualifying rounds. Usually played over August and September, champions of lower ranked associations are paired with other champions as second and third-placed teams from the top ranked leagues clash with each other. It’s the qualifying rounds where we’ve been seeing some of the upsets, notably last season when Paris FC (as the third-place finisher from the French Première Ligue) knocked Arsenal out of the first round of qualifying before besting VfL Wolfsburg (the runners-up from the previous UWCL season) over the two legs in the second round. As well as surprises, the qualifying rounds see 55 (or so) teams knocked out before the competition “proper” even starts. The…