All 144 Champions League main stage matches. What better games await us in the new format!
Maxim Pakhomov August 29, 2024, 22:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
“Barcelona” with “Bayern”, “Real” with “Liverpool”, Golovin against “Barca”… There is very little space here to list the best.
The Champions League main stage draw is over! We don’t have a schedule yet, but we know who the team will play.
The main thing: UEFA has abandoned the previously existing group stage and replaced it with a general (league) stage. The 36 clubs participating in the Champions League will play eight matches: four at home and four away. All teams will be placed in one table. The eight strongest will receive tickets directly to the round of 16, and the clubs occupying positions 9-24 will go to the playoffs. The remaining 12 teams with the worst results will end their participation in the European competition.
The most detailed guide to the new format:
All about the new Champions League format. There won’t be a Swiss system after all.
Before the draw, the 36 Champions League participants were divided into four pots of nine clubs. Each team must play against two opponents from each pot: one at home and one away. However, according to the regulations, in the league phase you cannot meet a representative from your federation and more than two teams from any other country.
As a result of the draw, the clubs only learned their opponents and the first and second leg matches, but not the order and dates of the matches. This will be announced additionally on 31 August. Only one thing is known in advance: the teams will not play two consecutive rounds against opponents from the same pot, as UEFA plans to distribute the best matches equally.
And now we come to the most interesting part: who will play with whom? A big request: don’t be surprised by the number of important matches. There really are a lot of them now.
Matches of teams from the first pot
“Real Madrid: Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Milan, Atalanta, Red Bull Salzburg, Lille, Stuttgart, Brest;Manchester City: Inter, PSG, Bruges, Juventus, Feyenoord, Sporting, Sparta, Slovan;“Bavaria”: PSG, Barcelona, Benfica, Shakhtar, Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord, Slovan, Aston Villa;“PSG”: Manchester City, Bayern, Atlético de Madrid, Arsenal, PSV, Red Bull Salzburg, Girona, Stuttgart;“Liverpool”: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Milan, Lille, PSV, Bologna, Girona;“Bury”: RB Leipzig, Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Red Star, Young Boys, Monaco, Sparta;Borussia D.: “Barcelona”, “Real”, “Shakhtar”, “Club Brugge”, “Celtic”, “Dynamo” Z, “Storm”, “Bologna”;RB Leipzig: Liverpool, Inter, Juventus, Atlético, Sporting, Celtic, Aston Villa, Sturm;Barcelona: Bayern, Borussia D, Atalanta, Benfica, Young Boys, Red Star, Brest, Monaco.
Ancelotti is probably also impressed by the new Champions League format.
Photo: Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Matches of teams from the second pot
Bayer: Inter, Liverpool, Milan, Atlético de Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg, Feyenoord, Sparta, Brest;“Athletic”: RB Leipzig, PSG, Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica, Lille, Red Bull Salzburg, Slovan, Sparta;“Atalanta”: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Shakhtar, Celtic, Young Boys, Sturm, Stuttgart;Juventus: Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Benfica, Bruges, PSV, Lille, Stuttgart, Aston Villa;Benfica: Barcelona, Bayern, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Feyenoord, Red Star, Bologna, Monaco;“Arsenal”: PSG, Inter, Shakhtar, Atalanta, Dinamo Z, Sporting, Monaco, Girona;“Witches”: Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Juventus, Milan, Sporting, Celtic, Aston Villa, Sturm;“Miner”: Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Arsenal, Young Boys, PSV, Brest, Bologna.
What awaits Xabi Alonso and his Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League?
Photo: Ronny Hartmann/Getty Images
Matches of teams from the third pot
Feyenoord: Bayern, Manchester City, Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica, Red Bull Salzburg, Lille, Sparta, Girona;“Sports”: Manchester City, Leipzig, Arsenal, Bruges, Lille, PSV, Bologna, Sturm;PSV: Liverpool, PSG, Shakhtar, Juventus, Sporting, Red Star, Girona, Brest;Dynamo Z: Borussia D, Bayern, Milan, Arsenal, Celtic, Red Bull Salzburg, Monaco, Slovan;Red Bull Salzburg: PSG, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Dinamo Z, Feyenoord, Brest, Sparta;“Lille”: Real Madrid, Liverpool, Juventus, Atlético de Madrid, Feyenoord, Sporting, Sturm, Bologna;“Crvena Zvezda”: Barcelona, Inter, Benfica, Milan, PSV, Young Boys, Stuttgart, Monaco;“Young boys”: Inter, Barcelona, Atalanta, Shakhtar, Red Star, Celtic, Aston Villa, Stuttgart;Celtic: RB Leipzig, Borussia D, Club Brugge, Atalanta, Young Boys, Dynamo D, Slovan, Aston Villa.
The matches in Belgrade will be the hottest
Photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Matches of teams from the fourth pot
“Slovak”: Manchester City, Bayer Leverkusen, Milan, Atlético de Madrid, Dinamo Z, Celtic, Stuttgart, Girona;“Monaco”: Barcelona, Inter, Benfica, Arsenal, Red Star, Dinamo Z, Aston Villa, Bologna;“Sparta”: Inter, Manchester City, Atlético de Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Red Bull Salzburg, Feyenoord, Brest, Stuttgart;Villa Aston: Bayern, Juventus, RB Leipzig, Club Brugge, Celtic, Young Boys, Bologna, Monaco;“Bologna”: Borussia D, Liverpool, Shakhtar, Benfica, Lille, Sporting, Monaco, Aston Villa;“Girona”: Liverpool, PSG, Arsenal, Milan, Feyenoord, PSV, Slovan, Sturm;“Stuttgart”: PSG, Real Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Young Boys, Red Star, Sparta, Slovan;“Storm”: RB Leipzig, Borussia D, Club Brugge, Atalanta, Sporting, Lille, Girona, Brest;“Brest”: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Shakhtar, PSV, Red Bull Salzburg, Sturm, Sparta.
Buffon in the Champions League draw
Photo: Claudio Lavenia – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Do you see how happy Buffon is? He is surely looking forward to the large number of top matches that await us from September to January (although the last round will be played at the end of January). It is really revealing: here is Real vs. Liverpool (and Slot’s team will also play against Milan), and Bayern vs. Barça, and City vs. the renewed Juventus… And the smaller clubs should put on a glorious show.
Who will the teams that include the Russians play against?
As long as our teams are not in the Champions League, we are watching and supporting Russian footballers. The most interesting draw is the one in Monaco, where Alexander Golovin plays with a number ten on his back. There are matches with Barça, Inter, Arsenal and Benfica (these are the best teams), as well as with Crvena Zvezda, Dinamo Zagreb, Aston Villa and Bologna. It is quite possible to make it to the playoffs.
Of course, we hope for Safonov’s release. For example, in a match against City or Bayern. Or at least against Atlético and Arsenal. If not, then let’s go with PSV, Red Bull Salzburg, Girona or Stuttgart.
Matvey Safonov is waiting for the Champions League
Photo: Franco Arland/Getty Image
Another Russian goalkeeper plays for Sturm – Daniil Khudyakov. And here are his opponents: RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Atalanta, Sporting, Lille, Girona and Brest. And Yegor Prutsev will also play in the best matches for Red Star: Barcelona, Inter, Benfica, Milan, PSV, Young Boys, Stuttgart, Monaco. The most difficult batch! But it will be even more fun to support Zvezda (by the way, there are many of our old friends there, from Spajic to Drkusic).
If UEFA doesn’t screw up the calendar, we’ll have a great tournament ahead of us. What do you think of everything so far?
