The Champions League is back with a new format, but what will it take for a team to make it to the knockout stages of the competition?
The new format has created new expectations in Europe this season, with clubs looking mathematically at how many points they need to progress to the knockout rounds under the new league structure.
This season sees a new ‘Swiss-style’ 36-team league format introduced, rather than the traditional eight groups of four teams (with the top two from each group advancing to the round of 16).
that Top 8 teams In the league Automatically advances to the final 16While the team was finishing up 9th ~ 24th will compete in ~ 2nd round playoff They compete against each other to join the top eight teams in the tournament.
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Sky News sports reporter Rob Harris explains the news, and why some find it confusing.
The bottom 12 teams, ranked from 25th to 36th, are ineligible for the Europa League.
So how many points do you need to avoid early elimination? And how many points do you need to make it into the top 8 and skip the playoff round?
What does it take to get into the top 8?
Opta Supercomputer believes that: 16 points Possible 24 in – so 5 wins and 1 draw in 8 gamesor any other combination – that will almost certainly suffice Get into the top 8any Guaranteed to be in the last 16th place In the new year.
Data also believes 15 points – so 5 wins out of 8 gamesOr, if there is another combination, it might be enough to finish eighth, which Opta found was enough in 73% of the 50,000 league stage simulations they did.
14 pointsso 4 wins 2 drawsI don’t think it’s enough to make it to the top 8. Race to the 5th win It is likely to be targeted by the largest forces.
How about making it to the playoffs?
to Get into the top 24Opta believe this will at least guarantee them a place in the play-offs. 10 points – so 3 wins 1 drawOr, using another combination, you can almost certainly get a spot in that round.
That means the team that wins the first round of the Champions League will secure a spot in the playoffs if they get seven more points from their remaining seven games.
9 points – so 3 wins out of 8 gamesAlternatively, another combination might be enough to get 24th place, which was enough in 69% of simulations.
But just 8 points – so Two wins and two drawsAlternatively, using other combinations risks dropping you out, and it turns out that the score was sufficient in only 16% of simulations.
So the team will set a target Win at least 3 out of 8 To give you the best chance of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages.
Champions League standings – who will qualify?
Arsenal match schedule
September 19th: Atalanta vs ArsenalKick-off at 8pm at Gavis Stadium
October 1st: Arsenal vs Paris SGEmirates Stadium, kick-off at 8pm
October 22nd: Arsenal vs Shakhtar DonetskEmirates Stadium, kick-off at 8pm
November 6th: Inter Milan vs ArsenalSan Siro, kick-off 8pm
November 26: Sporting Lisbon vs ArsenalJose Alvalade Stadium, kick-off at 8 p.m.
December 11: Arsenal vs MonacoEmirates Stadium, kick-off at 8pm
January 22nd: Arsenal vs Dinamo ZagrebEmirates Stadium, kick-off at 8pm
January 29th: Girona vs ArsenalMontilivi Stadium, kick-off at 8pm
Aston Villa Match Schedule
September 17: Young Boys 0-3 Aston Villa
October 2nd: Aston Villa vs Bayern MunichVilla Park, starting at 8pm
October 22nd: Aston Villa vs BolognaVilla Park, starting at 8pm
November 6th: Club Brugge vs Aston VillaKick-off at 5:45pm at Jan Breydel Stadium
November 27th: Aston Villa vs JuventusVilla Park, starting at 8pm
December 10th: RB Leipzig vs Aston VillaRed Bull Arena, kick-off 8pm
January 21: AS Monaco vs Aston VillaStadium Louis II, starting at 5:45 p.m.
January 29th: Aston Villa vs CelticVilla Park, starting at 8pm
Liverpool match schedule
September 17: AC Milan 1-3 Liverpool
October 2nd: Liverpool vs BolognaAnfield, kick-off 8pm
October 23: RB Leipzig vs Liverpool, Red Bull Arena, 8pm start
November 5th: Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen, Anfield, kick-off at 8pm
November 27th: Liverpool vs Real Madrid, Anfield, kick-off at 8pm
December 10th: Girona vs Liverpool, Kick-off at 5:45pm at Montilivi Stadium
January 21: Liverpool vs Lille, Anfield, kick-off at 8pm
January 29th: PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool, Philips Stadium, 8 p.m. kickoff
Man City Match Schedule
September 18th: Man City 0-0 Inter Milan
October 1st: Slovan Bratislava vs Man City, National Football Stadium, Kickoff 8pm
October 23: Man City vs Sparta PragueEtihad Stadium, kick-off at 8pm
November 5th: Sporting CP vs Man City, Jose Alvalade Stadium, kick-off at 8 p.m.
November 26: Man City vs Feyenoord, Etihad Stadium, kick-off at 8pm
December 11: Juventus vs Man City, Allianz Stadium, kick-off at 8pm
January 22nd: Paris Saint-Germain vs Man City, Parc des Princes, kick-off at 8pm
January 29th: Man City vs Club Brugge, Etihad Stadium, kick-off at 8pm
Celtic fixtures
September 18th: Celtic 5-1 Slovan Bratislava
October 1st: Borussia Dortmund vs CelticSignal Iunda Park, starting at 8pm
October 23: Atalanta vs CelticKick-off at 5.45pm at Gavis Stadium
November 5th: Celtic vs RB LeipzigCeltic Park, Kick-off 8pm
November 27th: Celtic vs Club BruggeCeltic Park, Kick-off 8pm
December 10th: Dinamo Zagreb vs CelticMaksimir Stadium, kick-off at 5:45 p.m.
January 22nd: Celtic vs Young BoysCeltic Park, Kick-off 8pm
January 29th: Aston Villa vs CelticVilla Park, starting at 8pm
When are the 2024/25 Champions League matches?
- Round 1: September 17-19, 2024
- Round 2: October 1/2, 2024
- Round 3: October 22/23, 2024
- Game 4: November 5/6, 2024
- Game 5: November 26/27, 2024
- Game 6: December 10/11, 2024
- Game 7: January 21/22, 2025
- Game 8: January 29, 2025
When is the 2024/25 Champions League tournament?
- Knockout Round Playoffs: 11/12 February 2025 and 18/19 February 2025
- Round of 16: 4/5 March 2025 and 11/12 March 2025
- Quarterfinals: April 8/9 and April 15/16, 2025
- Semi-finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7, 2025
- Final: May 31, 2025
Where will the 2025 Champions League final be held?
The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season will be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich on 31 May 2025.
