Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Celtic feature in new Champions League format; 36 teams form a single league, with each entrant playing eight different clubs, four at home and four away; the top eight sides will qualify automatically for the knockout stages
Wednesday 18 September 2024 21:13, UK
Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Celtic feature in a new Champions League format this season - here's everything you need to know...
The 36 teams form a single league, with each entrant playing eight different clubs, four at home and four away. Three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw.
The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout stages, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure a place in the last 16 of the competition.
The bottom 12 teams will be eliminated with no access to the Europa League.
Teams that finish between ninth and 16th will be seeded in the knockout phase play-off draw, meaning they will face a team placed 17th to 24th.
The eight clubs that prevail in the knockout phase play-offs will then progress to the round of 16, where they will each face one of the top-eight finishers, who will be seeded.
The pairings of the knockout phase will also be partly determined by the league phase rankings, with a draw which lays out the route for teams to reach the final.
A new format brings new expectations in the Champions League this season, with clubs looking at the mathematics to see how many points they would need to qualify for the knockout rounds in the league phase structure.
The Opta supercomputer believes 16 points from a possible 24 - so five wins and a draw from eight matches, or other combinations - would almost certainly be enough to finish in the top eight, which guarantees you a last-16 spot in the New Year.
The data also believes 15 points - so five wins from eight games, or other combinations - could be enough to sneak into eighth place, with that points tally being enough in 73 per cent of Opta's 50,000 simulations of the league phase.
Fourteen points, so four wins and two draws or other combinations, is unlikely to be enough for a top-eight finish - so the race to five wins is likely to be the target for the biggest sides.
To finish in the top 24, which guarantees you a play-off spot at least, Opta believes 10 points - so three wins and a draw, or other combinations - will almost certainly guarantee you a place in that round.
It means teams who win in the opening round of Champions League fixtures need just seven points from the remaining seven games to guarantee themselves a play-off spot.
Nine points - so three wins from eight games, or other combinations - could be enough to finish 24th, with that points tally being enough in 69 per cent of the simulations.
But just eight points - so two wins and two draws, or other combinations - runs the risk of elimination, with that points tally being sufficient in just 16 per cent of the simulations.
Teams will be targeting at least three wins from eight to give them the best possible chance of reaching the Champions League knockout rounds.
September 19: Atalanta vs Arsenal, Gewiss Stadium, kick-off 8pm
October 1: Arsenal vs Paris SG, Emirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm
October 22: Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk, Emirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm
November 6: Inter Milan vs Arsenal, San Siro, kick-off 8pm
November 26: Sporting Lisbon vs Arsenal, Jose Alvalade Stadium, kick-off 8pm
December 11: Arsenal vs Monaco, Emirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm
January 22: Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb, Emirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm
January 29: Girona vs Arsenal, Estadi Montilivi, kick-off 8pm
October 2: Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich, Villa Park, kick-off 8pm
October 22: Aston Villa vs Bologna, Villa Park, kick-off 8pm
November 6: Club Brugge vs Aston Villa, Jan Breydel Stadium, kick-off 5.45pm
November 27: Aston Villa vs Juventus, Villa Park, kick-off 8pm
December 10: RB Leipzig vs Aston Villa, Red Bull Arena, kick-off 8pm
January 21: AS Monaco vs Aston Villa, Louis II Stadium, kick-off 5.45pm
January 29: Aston Villa vs Celtic, Villa Park, kick-off 8pm
October 2: Liverpool vs Bologna, Anfield, kick-off 8pm
October 23: RB Leipzig vs Liverpool, Red Bull Arena, kick-off 8pm
November 5: Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen, Anfield, kick-off 8pm
November 27: Liverpool v Real Madrid, Anfield, kick-off 8pm
December 10: Girona vs Liverpool, Estadi Montilivi, kick-off 5.45pm
January 21: Liverpool vs Lille, Anfield, kick-off 8pm
January 29: PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool, Philips Stadium, kick-off 8pm
September 18: Man City vs Inter Milan, Etihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm
October 1: Slovan Bratislava vs Man City, Narodny futbalovy stadion, kick-off 8pm
October 23: Man City vs Sparta Prague, Etihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm
November 5: Sporting CP vs Man City, Jose Alvalade Stadium, kick-off 8pm
November 26: Man City vs Feyenoord, Etihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm
December 11: Juventus vs Man City, Allianz Stadium, kick-off 8pm
January 22: Paris Saint-Germain vs Man City, Parc des Princes, kick-off 8pm
January 29: Man City vs Club Brugge, Etihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm
September 18: Celtic vs Slovan Bratislava, Celtic Park, kick-off 8pm
October 1: Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic, Signal Iunda Park, kick-off 8pm
October 23: Atalanta vs Celtic, Gewiss Stadium, kick-off 5.45pm
November 5: Celtic vs RB Leipzig, Celtic Park, kick-off 8pm
November 27: Celtic vs Club Brugge, Celtic Park, kick-off 8pm
December 10: Dinamo Zagreb vs Celtic, Maksimir Stadium, kick-off 5.45pm
January 22: Celtic vs Young Boys, Celtic Park, kick-off 8pm
January 29: Aston Villa vs Celtic, Villa Park, kick-off 8pm
The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season will take place in Munich at the Allianz Arena on May 31, 2025.
