Mark Ogden

Of course, you've got two extra matches you could go out.

But, you know, what this format has done is dilute the importance of big teams meeting each other.

I understand it if you're a casual fan and you think, oh, Inter Milan are playing Arsenal, great.

You know, two big teams this early in the season, let's watch it.

Does it really matter?

Three season friendly, wasn't it?

This is it.

And unfortunately, and I think we all knew this was coming anyway, that just the dilution of the format has not added to the overall quality and it's reduced the jeopardy.

And yeah, look, all these games kicking off at the same time.

It's going to be an exciting Wednesday night and the live table will be, you know, we'll do great traffic on all sorts of websites, but I'm not, I don't think it's come at a too high a price really.

Yes, I think there is, to the extent that... I take your point, Mark.

I think it's an interesting one.

I would say, though, if you ask the managers, would you want the second leg home or away, they would say home every single time.

And I think it's important for the Premier League teams to not have two extra games.

I think that was certainly a motivation...

for Arsenal and Arteta.

To not have those two extra obviously high profile tense matches you know knockout games to save yourself from that but in terms of your prospects of winning the competition if we're now talking about the serious contenders for it the heavyweights who are there every year I don't think it really matters does it?

I mean you know you look at the table here I mean we should probably pick out a couple of fixtures I think that you know Napoli Chelsea is the big one isn't it that Napoli 25th are currently below the line

They could go out, Chelsea are right on the brink, they're eighth at the moment in the automatic places, but obviously could drop down into the playoffs.

And you've got, you know, what is it, seven, eight, ten teams maybe separated by four or five points.