August 29th 2024.
The much-anticipated draw for the 2024-25 Champions League league phase took place on Thursday, revealing the opponents for top English clubs Liverpool and Arsenal. This season, the European club competition underwent a major overhaul, with the traditional group stage being replaced by a league phase featuring all 36 teams. Each team will play eight games, four at home and four away, as determined by UEFA's software and the four pots they were placed in based on their seeding.
In Pot 1, we have the reigning Premier League champions Liverpool and fellow English club Manchester City. Arsenal, on the other hand, found themselves in Pot 2, while Aston Villa, the fourth English team to qualify for the Champions League, were placed in Pot 4. The question on everyone's mind was, which eight clubs will Arsenal and Liverpool face in the league phase? Let's take a look.
The Gunners are set to face some tough competition, including PSG, Inter Milan, and Atalanta, as well as Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb, Sporting Lisbon, Monaco, and Girona. Meanwhile, Liverpool, the most successful English side in Champions League history, will take on Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan, Lille, PSV, Bologna, and Girona. It's safe to say that both teams will have their work cut out for them in this challenging league phase.
As for Manchester City, they will have to go up against Inter Milan, PSG, Club Brugge, Juventus, Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon, Sparta Prague, and Slovan Bratislava. While Aston Villa, making their first appearance in the Champions League, will face Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Juventus, Club Brugge, Celtic, Young Boys, Bologna, and Monaco.
Now, you may be wondering, what exactly is this new league phase and how does it work? Well, instead of the traditional group stage, all 36 teams will compete in a league format, playing eight games each. The top eight teams will directly advance to the knockout stage, while teams ranked nine to 24 will enter a playoff round, with the winners securing a spot in the last 16. Unfortunately, teams ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated from the competition.
As we eagerly await the start of the Champions League, it's clear that this revamped format will provide an exciting and challenging competition for all teams involved. So, mark your calendars and get ready to support your favorite English clubs as they face off against Europe's best in the 2024-25 Champions League league phase.
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