Club football is back which means only one thing, the return of the Champions League.
Europe’s premier competition never fails to deliver and last season Real Madrid lifted a record-extending 15th title after beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final.
This year it’s anyone’s guess as to who will win, but Premier League champions Manchester City are the early favourites with Los Blancos, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Liverpool also likely to go far.
The competition has undergone a huge revamp for this season, with 36 clubs and 189 matches spread across the whole calendar.
The new ‘league phase’ will conclude in January rather than before Christmas with every club guaranteed at least eight games up from the usual six.
You can find all the Champions League odds on the Paddy Power website and Paddy Power app, otherwise below is everything you need to know about the changes.
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What is the new Champions League format?
The biggest format change will see the traditional group stage format scrapped in favour of a single league containing all 36 participating clubs.
Each team will be seeded into four different pots as usual. They will then be drawn against two different teams from each pot, playing one team at home and one away.
This means every side will play eight matches. Sides from the same nation can’t face each other and clubs can only face up to two sides from one nation.
Teams that finish 1st-8th will qualify for the last 16 and those in 9th-24th will play in a two-legged play-off tie. Teams finishing below 24th will be automatically eliminated from all competitions.
Which teams have qualified for the Champions League?
- England: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa
- Spain: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Atletico Madrid
- Germany: Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern, Leipzig, Dortmund
- Italy: Atalanta, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Bologna, Juventus
- France: Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Brest, Lille
- Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord
- Austria: Sturm Graz, RB Salzburg
- Portugal: Sporting CP, Benfica
- Belgium: Club Brugge
- Scotland: Celtic
- Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk
- Serbia: Red Star Belgrade
- Slovakia: Slovan Bratislava
- Switzerland: Young Boys
- Croatia: Dinamo Zagreb
- Czechia: Sparta Prague
What are the Champions League match dates?
The league phase will last until January.
- Matchday 1: September 17-19, 2024
- Matchday 2: October 1/2, 2024
- Matchday 3: October 22/23, 2024
- Matchday 4: November 5/6, 2024
- Matchday 5: November 26/27, 2024
- Matchday 6: December 10/11, 2024
- Matchday 7: January 21/22, 2025
- Matchday 8: January 29, 2025
When are the Champions League knockout stages?
The play-off round for teams finishing 9th-24th in the league phase begins in early February and the final is scheduled for the end of May in Munich.
- Play-Offs: February 11/12 and February 18/19, 2025
- Last 16: March 4/5 and March 11/12, 2025
- Quarter-Finals: April 8/9 and April 15/16, 2025
- Semi-Finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7, 2025
- Final: May 31, 2025
Read More on the Champions League
- Shoot on over to Paddy Power News for the best Football Betting Tips & News
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