While the battle for the Champions League of the future is fought behind the scenes, this week the continent’s biggest clubs begin their latest quest for European glory with holders Liverpool dreaming of reaching another final in Istanbul.
The current 32-team group stage format leading to a knockout round of 16 was introduced in 2003. Since then, an ever-smaller group of clubs has competed to win the trophy, with the last 15 champions coming from Spain, England, Germany or Italy.