So. Much. Football.
The novelty of the 2024/25 Champions League is almost overwhelming, as this brand new edition of UEFA’s premier club competition starts this week.
There are no longer any group phases, the “Swiss model” has prevailed. 36 teams now compete against each other in a “league phase”. Each match day (except the last one) then consists of 18 games spread over three days.
The abundance of action will no doubt test Wi-Fi connections around the world and there will certainly be plenty of screens in use to ensure as much of the first day of play as possible is seen live.
This should be a lot of fun, and here’s how 90 minutes expects the first week of the league phase to be successful.
Tuesday, September 17
There are six games each day, with two games kicking off early and four games starting simultaneously in the evening.
A Premier League representative is one of the early starters on Tuesday, as Champions League newcomers Aston Villa Travel to the Swiss side Young boys want to start their season on the right foot. Thiago Motta’s Juventus are also in action and welcome Peter Bosz PSV to Turin.
Permanent winners real Madrid are involved later, and they have a tricky task with Stuttgart is coming to town. Sebastian Hoeneß’s team finished second in the Bundesliga last season and couldn’t have wished for a more lucrative match on the first day of their return to Europe’s most important club competition.
Milan’s Collision with Liverpool The most notable match on Tuesday, however, is undoubtedly the Rossoneri’s, who crushed Venezia in Serie A on Saturday. They now face the Reds, who suffered their first defeat under Arne Slot at the weekend.
Bayern Munich have scored many goals under Vincent Kompany at the start of the 2024/25 season and their season begins at home against Dinamo ZagrebA more exciting duel is expected in the Portuguese capital. Sporty CP Welcome Lillewho had qualified via the play-offs, to Lisbon.
Wednesday, September 18
There will be a rematch of the 2023 final under floodlights at the Etihad Stadium, but before that Manchester City against the Scudetto defending champion Inter, Bologna play their first Champions League game since 1964 and face the Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk in Dall’Ara.
Two play-off winners in Sparta Prague And Salzburg There will also be a duel on Wednesday, with Pep Lijnders, Jürgen Klopp’s right-hand man at Liverpool FC, leading the Austrians into battle.
The meeting between City and Inter is set to be a spectacle given Pep Guardiola’s team’s good start to the new season. Inter are well trained and by far the best team in Italy, but they did not have to admit defeat to Monza at the weekend.
Borussia Dortmundlast time defeated finalist, begins its league phase away in Belgium with a match against the national champion FC Bruges. Paris Saint Germain appear confident despite the departure of Kylian Mbappé and should start their Champions League season with a victory over newcomers The old town of Girona in the French capital.
Celtic They endured miserable group stages in 2022/23 and 2023/24, but the team looks a little better in 2024/25 as Brendan Rodgers continues to make waves on the sidelines. Rodgers’ side have been excellent in pre-season and have made a flawless start to the new season. They have a great chance of claiming a rare win in this competition if they beat Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park.
Thursday, September 19
Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen will be looking to make a splash in the competition after their historic 2023/24 season, but trips to De Kuip are not for the faint-hearted. Xabi Alonso’s side will be put to the test by Feyenoord on Thursday, even though the Dutch have had a rather mediocre start to the new season.
Benfica The Spaniards are also slowly entering the 2024/25 season, but cannot easily make it through on the first matchday. Red Star BelgradeThe Portuguese side are on a four-match unbeaten run following a loss on the opening weekend of the Primeira Liga season.
Brest Against Storm Graztwo teams from Pot 4, is unlikely to attract much attention, although the French side is one of five clubs making their debut in the competition this week.
arsenal Although they are weakened, they will travel to Bergamo full of confidence to face the Europa League winners. AtalantaA header from Gabriel ensured they took all three points from the North London derby on Sunday.
An exciting duel takes place in Madrid, Atletico take over RB Leipzigwhile Monaco Face a purr Barcelona The team will be looking to avenge France’s recent triumph at the Joan Gamper Trophy. This should be an exciting match.
