Firstly, the net number of participants has increased, albeit slightly: from 32 to 36. Most importantly, there are no groups now, as all the trophy contenders are placed at a common table. Each team will now have eight opponents, instead of three as before. The top eight clubs will advance directly to the round of 16. Those who finished 9th to 24th will be eliminated in the playoffs. The rest are finishing their fight for the title.
The Champions League favourites remain unchanged: experts believe that the main contenders for the cup will be the current winner of the trophy, Real Madrid, and the English Manchester City. The “citizens” started the season by winning the country’s Super Cup and in the first four matches of the national championship scored the maximum of 12 points. Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is in incredible form and has scored nine goals in the new season. There are no signs of a crisis, City is one of the clear favourites for the Champions League.
The 36 participants are seated at a common table. The top eight teams will advance directly to the second round of the playoffs, while the other 16 will play in the first knockout phase of the tournament.
Real Madrid are also in perfect order. In the summer, the Royal Club finally landed Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, who has already scored four goals in six games for the Whites. After winning away at Real Sociedad (2-0) last weekend in the fifth round of the Spanish Primera División, Mbappé said his goal is to win the Champions League for the first time in his career.
“I moved to Real Madrid to succeed in a tournament like the Champions League,” Mbappé admitted. – As everyone knows, I have not yet managed to win this competition, so I have no motivation problems. I have already gradually adapted to the new demands and I am ready for anything.
Well, the first major match of the current Champions League will take place in Italy, where some of the most successful clubs in the history of world football will play: seven-time winners of the main European Cup, Milan, and Liverpool, who have taken this trophy six times.
In the early 2000s, the Red-Blacks and Merseysiders met twice in the Champions League final: in 2005, in a fantastic thriller in Istanbul, Liverpool turned out to be stronger, winning 0-3 (3-3, 3-2 on penalties), but two years later Milan took revenge in Athens, defeating the English team 2:1.
Compared to those times, Milan is clearly not in the best form now. There are no stars of the level of Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Gennaro Gattuso in the squad, and the results at the start of the season leave much to be desired: in four Serie A matches, the team scored only five points, winning only one victory. There are more and more questions for the new Milan coach, Portuguese Paulo Fonseca, although he himself is not going to give up.
– We have already lost a lot at the start of the season and now we are forced to make up for lost ground. I fully understand what club I joined and what I will have to deal with. Criticism is part of the game. “I accept it, but the most important thing for me is to stay above rumours and talk,” said Fonseca.
Liverpool are not doing well either: before their visit to Milan, the Reds sensationally lost at home to one of the weakest teams in the Premier League, Nottingham (0-1). For the first time in 55 years, the Merseysiders have lost to this rival at home. It is not the best warm-up before the start of the Champions League.
– What bothered me most about the game against Nottingham was our performance itself. Naturally, the result for us is, to put it mildly, unsatisfactory. We have ourselves to blame, we have to be better,” said Liverpool’s Dutch coach Arne Slot.
Another Champions League contender, French side PSG, will start the tournament with a home game against Spanish side Girona on Wednesday. This match could mark the long-awaited debut of Russian national team goalkeeper Matvey Safonov in competitive matches for the Parisians. Safonov’s transfer from Krasnodar for 20 million euros caused a stir not only here, but also in France. And now he finally has the chance to show his full potential. PSG’s main goalkeeper, Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma, is injured and will be out for at least a week. So Matvey has an excellent chance to prove to his team’s coach Luis Enrique that he can be counted on.
Where will we see?
September 17th, Tuesday
Okko
19.45. Juventus (Italy) – PSV (Netherlands). Live broadcast. 22.00. Real Madrid (Spain) – Stuttgart (Germany). Live broadcast. 22.00. “Milan” (Italy) – “Liverpool” (England). Live broadcast.
