Champions League draw delivers more games, greater variety
The draw for the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League league phase is complete, and it’s fair to say that it has delivered a massive number of box-office matches. Undoubtedly, executives from CBS Sports must be jumping for joy at the prospect of showing these games.
This season’s rendition of the most prestigious club competition in Europe will look quite different compared to previous years. Instead of a group stage consisting of four teams in eight different divisions, there will be just one big league.
Recent European finals set for rematches in the league phase
Reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid will attempt a repeat in the competition by facing fellow Pot One clubs Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. The Spanish giants previously topped the German opponents in the 2024 Champions League final in London. Along with this duo, Los Blancos also must play AC Milan, Atalanta, RB Salzburg, Lille, Stuttgart, and Brest.
Current English champions Manchester City will also face a familiar foe as well. Pep Guardiola’s club was drawn against Inter Milan on Thursday. The two teams featured in the 2023 Champions League final, a game in which City won. The English team will also schedule fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, Sporting, Sparta Praha, and newcomers Slovan Bratislava.
A rematch of the 2020 Champions League final is also set as well. PSG will try to get payback with Bayern Munich after the Germans narrowly triumphed in the game four years ago. The Bundesliga side also must next face Barcelona, Benfica, Shakhtar Donetsk, GNK Dinamo, Feyenoord, Slovan Bratislava, and Aston Villa.
New coaches at top teams learn their league phase fate
Barcelona will attempt to get back on track in the competition after a disappointing showing against PSG in the spring. New manager Hansi Flick is set to face German duo Bayern and Dortmund, while also being drawn against Atalanta, Benfica, Young Boys, Crvena Zvezda, Monaco, and Brest.
Liverpool, also with a new head coach, has been handed a fairly difficult draw. Arne Slot will lead his new club in the Champions League against reigning winners Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Leverkusen, AC Milan, Lille, PSV, Bologna, and Girona.
Fellow English side Arsenal, on the other hand, will attempt to grab their first Champions League title this season. The Gunners have tough tests against PSG and Inter Milan. They also face off against Atalanta, Shakhtar Donetsk, GNK Dinamo, Sporting CP, Monaco, and Girona.
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Complete schedules of the league stage of the tournament are expected to be released on Saturday.
Notable Champions League draws:
Manchester City will play games against Inter Milan, PSG, Club Brugge, Juventus, Feyenoord, Sporting CP, Sparta Praha, and Slovan Bratislava.
Inter Milan will play Man City, RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Leverkusen, Crvena Zvezda, Young Boys, Monaco, and Sparta Praha.
Bayern opponents are PSG, Barcelona, Benfica, Shakhtar, GNK Dinamo, Feyenoord, Bratislava, and Aston Villa.
Barcelona will face Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Benfica, Young Boys, Crvena Zvezda, Brest, and Monaco.
Real Madrid will play games against Dortmund, Liverpool, Milan, Atalanta, Salzburg, Lille, Stuttgart, and Brest.
Liverpool faces Real Madrid, as well as Leipzig, Leverkusen, Milan, Lille, PSV, Bologna, and Girona.
Arsenal will play PSG, Inter, Atalanta, Shakhtar, GNK Dinamo, Sporting CP, Monaco, and Girona.
Juventus opponents are Manchester City, Leipzig, Benfica, Club Brugge, PSV, Lille, Stuttgart, and Aston Villa.
Champions League has morphed into a Super League
Before this season, each team played only three opponents twice in the group stage. However, clubs will now play eight games against totally different opponents in this newly revised league phase. This move increases the total fixtures of this stage from 125 to 189.
Clubs are set to face two opponents from each of the four different pots. The pots were assembled based on coefficient ratings by UEFA. Teams cannot play other clubs from the same country in this phase. Clubs ultimately placed ninth to 24th will qualify for the knockout round. The top eight finishers in the league will automatically move on to the round of 16. Teams outside of the top 24 are to be eliminated from the tournament.
Photo: UEFA