Barcelona 's Aitana Bonmatí has said she is looking forward to a "more competitive" Champions League this season after winning the Ballon d'Or for the third time earlier this week .

Europe's premier competition gets underway next month in a new format, with an expansion from 16 to 18 teams and the implementation of the Swiss model, mirroring the men's tournament, whereby the group stage is replaced by a league phase.

Each team will have six unique fixtures, with Barça, beaten finalists last year, kicking off their campaign at home to German champions Bayern Munich on Oct. 7.

"I think it's [going to be] a very exciting season because the Champions League is changing," Bonmatí said at the stunning Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona on Thursday, where she paraded her three Ballons d

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