THE 2024/25 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
UEFA Champions League returns in its new format.
The main change in the new format is that the group stage table is set up more like typical league than a traditional club group format.
Instead of eight groups of four teams playing each other twice (home and away), there is one table consisting of all 36 teams, with each team playing 8 different opponents to earn points and position themselves in the table for promotion to the next round.
The top 8 teams (1st to 8th) will advance directly to the Round of 16, leaving 8 more spots for the following 16 teams in the league standings to fight for in a knockout playoff round. Teams positioned from 9th to 16th will be seeded, while teams positioned from 17th to 24th will be unseeded. Teams positioned from 25th to 32nd will see their European dreams come to an end.
This week’s Champions League games spread from Tuesday to Thursday.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven and Young Boys vs. Aston Villa are the two early kick-off matches to start the new Champions League season on Tuesday, followed by four other fixtures, including a clash between AC Milan and Liverpool, Sporting CP and Lille, Bayern Munich and Dinamo Zagreb, and defending champions Real Madrid beginning their campaign at home against Stuttgart.
Young Boys vs. Aston Villa
Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven
AC Milan vs. Liverpool
Bayern Munich vs. Dinamo Zagreb
Real Madrid vs. Stuttgart
Sporting CP vs. Lille
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Paris Saint-Germain will host a Girona side making their debut in the Champions League, while Manchester City vs. Inter Milan will be the marquee fixture on the second day of the opening round of the Champions League.
Sparta Prague vs. RB Salzburg
Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk
Celtic vs. Slovan Bratislava
Club Brugge vs. Borussia Dortmund
Manchester City vs. Inter Milan
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Girona
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Feyenoord vs. Leverkusen and Red Star Belgrade vs. Benfica are the early kick-off matches on the third day of the Champions League opening round.
Monaco will host Barcelona, Atalanta will face Arsenal, and Atletico Madrid will take on RB Leipzig. These games could produce some surprise results.
Feyenoord vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Red Star Belgrade vs. Benfica
Monaco vs. Barcelona
Atalanta vs. Arsenal
Atlético Madrid vs. RB Leipzig
Brest vs. Sturm Graz
