2024-25 UEFA Champions League

HalloweenJack

I see they've also done away with the 'league champions go into pot one' idea which was actually a good one.

It helped a lot of surprise league winners have a decent shot at the group stages and meant pot two had some really strong teams as well.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122556960#Comment_122556960

The thing is that what seeding pot you are in no longer confers any advantage.

Everyone's 8 games will have 2 games v Pot1 teams, and 2 games v Pot2, Pot3 & Po4.

So Aston Villa in Pot 4 can expect to have as difficult/easy a set of fixtures as Liverpool or City in Pot 1.

jacool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122555878#Comment_122555878

I'd say about 6 p.m. knowing UEFA!

jacool

Looking forward to some "unique" fixtures out of this lot. Bologna and Aston Villa look like the only Pot 4 teams that might hope to make the last 24, for me. Pot 3 looks weak enough. The first two pots must be thinking that they should all make the knockouts.

Pauliedragon

With the automated draw the conspiracy theories will be running wild after the draw with teams claiming it was fixed.

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122557500#Comment_122557500

This is 100% guaranteed to happen.

If Madrid and City get drawn to play each other: "Fix!"

If they instead get drawn against Leipzig: "Fix!"

It's so very very tiring

The Rooster

I hope they have teams from the same pot playing each other early on.
City v Madrid, Barca v Liverpool would be massive games in Round 1/2 but could be dead rubbers in round 7/8 if both are already qualified and it only effects seeding. Then some teams in Pot 1 would get off to bad starts and be under pressure and some teams from Pot 4 would get off to good starts.

A similar group system has been an abject failure in the Rugby Euro Cup, but I’m open minded in this, a change was needed and it may work out well.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122557730#Comment_122557730

All games between top teams are going to be a dead rubber when 24 teams qualify and only 12 are eliminated after 8 games each.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122557166#Comment_122557166

Young Boys will relish the the chance to get Brest for the first time.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122558346#Comment_122558346

Well there's a big incentive to finish Top 8, and avoid the extra 2 games in February. At a minimum they are inconvenient games for scheduling purposes. If you lose both Pot1 games then you are going to struggle for Top 8 so they shouldn't be dead rubbers.

There's a lesser incentive to finish first or second as this gives you a theoretically better route through the knockout part of the competition.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122558398#Comment_122558398

Wow the jeopardy has me shaking with excitement.

citytillidie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122558346#Comment_122558346

Which is why UEFA are trying to use the seeding system based on where you finish in the league to try and get teams to finish as high as possible for better knock out draws

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122558406#Comment_122558406

I'm sorry that you don't think there is enough jeopardy, and that you measure the merit of something by it.

Maybe stick with the 380 game premier league season (to eliminate 3 teams, and send 4 into the following years CL).

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122558409#Comment_122558409

Which then takes out the fun of a draw for knockouts.

There is absolutely no metric where this system is better than the old one. It might not have been perfect but it was clean, simple, cut out 50% of the teams and had at least a small chance of upsets.

What we have now is essentially a seeding round with about as much excitement as the Football provincials minus the trophy.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122558452#Comment_122558452

Don't really watch the Premier League but there is no comparison. The Premier League didn't have a good system that they went and fuked with.

If they did I would complain but they didn't so.

Bounty Hunter

Statistacally the best draw an English team could get would be:

• Borussia Dortmund
• RB Leipzig
• Club Brugge
• Shakhtar Donetsk
• Red Star Belgrade
• Young Boys
• Sturm Graz
• Slovan Bratislava

and the worst draw / group they could get would be:

• Real Madrid
• Inter
• Bayer Leverkusen
• Atalanta
• Sporting CP
• PSV Eindhoven
• Monaco
• Stuttgart

That said best / worst are arbitary as I'd say most would like to get Barcelona for example from pot A as you want to play at least one of the historic big boys, visit a place like the Nou Camp and people might believe they are actually more beatable when compare to the likes of Madrid.

jacool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122558363#Comment_122558363

In, or out of the cup, though? It matters.

randd1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122558461#Comment_122558461

Could easily have expanded it better. I'd have gone with;

4 groups of 10 teams, 9 games in total. Draw is based on club co-efficient, and in each group, the 5 top ranked sides play each other in 2 home/away games, and playing the 5 bottom ranked teams in 2 home/3 away games. The 5 bottom ranked sides would also play each other in 2 home/away games. The compromise for the top clubs of the extra away game would be one of the away games would come with being given half the ticket sales for a designated away round.

For example, we have for arguments sake Real, Inter, Leverkusen, Arsenal, Lille, Porto, Ajax, Celtic, Olympiakos, Fenerbache in one group. Real, Inter, Leverkusen, Arsenal and Porto, would be 2 home/2 away as the top ranked sides. Lille, Ajax, Celtic, Olympiakos, Fenerbache would be 2 home/2 away as the bottom ranked sides. And then when the top side play the bottom 5, they play 2 home/ 3 away, eg, Real get Lille and Celtic at home, and play Ajax, Olympiakos and Fenerbache away but in one of the away games (a designated round, say the first) they received half the total ticket sales and increased ticket allocation.

Into the knockouts. Top two of each group directly into Round of 16. Teams ranked 3 & 4 of each group (8 teams) play teams ranked 5 & 6 (8 teams) play off against each other in a one match playoff, with the teams ranked 3 & 4 getting home advantage. The winners would then go to the round of 16.

Simples.

randd1

Always maintained the Premier League (or any big league for that matter) would be more exciting if just two were automatically dropped, and a playoff between 3rd and 4th from bottom was in play.

y0ssar1an22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122558692#Comment_122558692

1 good thing about this new system is no same country protection, so city could get liverpool for example.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122559377#Comment_122559377

Are you sure. I know Wikipedia isn't sacrosanct but it says

"Teams cannot face opponents from their own association, and can only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association"

Brussels Sprout

Pretty clever to have this piece with pretty much ever critical internet comment about the new format in it

Bounty Hunter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122559445#Comment_122559445

Yep Zlatan almost calling it the Super League

When does this super league draw actually start?

citytillidie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122559377#Comment_122559377

There is country protection

There is country protection.

You play two teams from each pot.

y0ssar1an22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122559420#Comment_122559420

it seems i'm incorrect. i thought removal of same country protection was part of the revamp.

y0ssar1an22

city 1st team out. hopefully will also be 1st team out.

Press a button and the fixtures are determined. 😂

Trampas

Stinks of predetermined matches

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122559494#Comment_122559494

Very easy to do when you can't see it! A little line of code, bobs your uncle!

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122559489#Comment_122559489

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122559494#Comment_122559494

Sigh

y0ssar1an22

tough enough draw for liverpool.

jacool

Manchester City: Inter(H), PSG(A), Brugge(H), Juventus(A), Feyenoord(H), Sporting(A), Sparta Prague(H), Slovan Bratislava(A)

Arsenal: PSG(H), Inter(A), Atalanta(A), Shakhtar(H), Dinamo(H), Sporting(A), Monaco(H), Girona(A)

Liverpool: Leipzig(A), Real Madrid(H), Bayer Leverkusen(H), Milan(A), Lille(H), PSV(A), Bologna(H), Girona(A)

Celtic: Borussia Dortmund(A), Leipzig(H), Atalanta(A), Club Brugge(H), Young Boys(H), Dinamo(A), Slovan Bratislava(H), Aston Villa (A)

Aston Villa:  Leipzig(A), Bayern Munchen(H), Club Brugge(A), Juventus(H), Young Boys(A), Celtic (H), Bologna(H), Monaco(A)

Bounty Hunter

Once they don't come in the bottom 8 they get through to the next round iirc and looking at those groupings you would have to think there is a good chance of all the English teams doing so.

Before the draw Villa would have been the least likely being in pot4 and all but you could see them picking up points vs the likes of Young Boys, Celtic, Brugge & Bologna.

You could argue Arsenal or Liverpool have hard enough draws but still you would expect them to be beating teams like (Arsenal) Dinamo, Monaco and Shaktar or (Liverpool) Lille, PSV and Bologna.

citytillidie

Team	Pot 1 Home	Pot 1 Away	Pot 2 Home	Pot 2 Away	Pot 3 Home	Pot 3 Away	Pot 4 Home	Pot 4 Away
Manchester City FC (ENG)	FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)	Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)	Club Brugge KV (BEL)	Juventus (ITA)	Feyenoord (NED)	Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)	AC Sparta Praha (CZE)	ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)	RB Leipzig (GER)	Manchester City FC (ENG)	Arsenal FC (ENG)	Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)	FK Crvena zvezda (SRB)	BSC Young Boys (SUI)	AS Monaco (FRA)	AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
FC Bayern München (GER)	Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)	FC Barcelona (ESP)	SL Benfica (POR)	FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)	GNK Dinamo (CRO)	Feyenoord (NED)	ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)	Aston Villa FC (ENG)
RB Leipzig (GER)	Liverpool FC (ENG)	FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)	Juventus (ITA)	Atlético de Madrid (ESP)	Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)	Celtic FC (SCO)	Aston Villa FC (ENG)	SK Sturm Graz (AUT)
Borussia Dortmund (GER)	FC Barcelona (ESP)	Real Madrid C.F. (ESP)	FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)	Club Brugge KV (BEL)	Celtic FC (SCO)	GNK Dinamo (CRO)	SK Sturm Graz (AUT)	Bologna FC 1909 (ITA)
FC Barcelona (ESP)	FC Bayern München (GER)	Borussia Dortmund (GER)	Atalanta BC (ITA)	SL Benfica (POR)	BSC Young Boys (SUI)	FK Crvena zvezda (SRB)	Stade Brestois 29 (FRA)	AS Monaco (FRA)
Real Madrid C.F. (ESP)	Borussia Dortmund (GER)	Liverpool FC (ENG)	AC Milan (ITA)	Atalanta BC (ITA)	FC Salzburg (AUT)	LOSC Lille (FRA)	VfB Stuttgart (GER)	Stade Brestois 29 (FRA)
Liverpool FC (ENG)	Real Madrid C.F. (ESP)	RB Leipzig (GER)	Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)	AC Milan (ITA)	LOSC Lille (FRA)	PSV Eindhoven (NED)	Bologna FC 1909 (ITA)	Girona FC (ESP)
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)	Manchester City FC (ENG)	FC Bayern München (GER)	Atlético de Madrid (ESP)	Arsenal FC (ENG)	PSV Eindhoven (NED)	FC Salzburg (AUT)	Girona FC (ESP)	VfB Stuttgart (GER)
Atlético de Madrid (ESP)	RB Leipzig (GER)	Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)	Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)	SL Benfica (POR)	LOSC Lille (FRA)	FC Salzburg (AUT)	ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)	AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
Atalanta BC (ITA)	Real Madrid C.F. (ESP)	FC Barcelona (ESP)	Arsenal FC (ENG)	FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)	Celtic FC (SCO)	BSC Young Boys (SUI)	SK Sturm Graz (AUT)	VfB Stuttgart (GER)
Club Brugge KV (BEL)	Borussia Dortmund (GER)	Manchester City FC (ENG)	Juventus (ITA)	AC Milan (ITA)	Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)	Celtic FC (SCO)	Aston Villa FC (ENG)	SK Sturm Graz (AUT)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)	FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)	Liverpool FC (ENG)	AC Milan (ITA)	Atlético de Madrid (ESP)	FC Salzburg (AUT)	Feyenoord (NED)	AC Sparta Praha (CZE)	Stade Brestois 29 (FRA)
Arsenal FC (ENG)	Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)	FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)	FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)	Atalanta BC (ITA)	GNK Dinamo (CRO)	Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)	AS Monaco (FRA)	Girona FC (ESP)
SL Benfica (POR)	FC Barcelona (ESP)	FC Bayern München (GER)	Atlético de Madrid (ESP)	Juventus (ITA)	Feyenoord (NED)	FK Crvena zvezda (SRB)	Bologna FC 1909 (ITA)	AS Monaco (FRA)
Juventus (ITA)	Manchester City FC (ENG)	RB Leipzig (GER)	SL Benfica (POR)	Club Brugge KV (BEL)	PSV Eindhoven (NED)	LOSC Lille (FRA)	VfB Stuttgart (GER)	Aston Villa FC (ENG)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)	FC Bayern München (GER)	Borussia Dortmund (GER)	Atalanta BC (ITA)	Arsenal FC (ENG)	BSC Young Boys (SUI)	PSV Eindhoven (NED)	Stade Brestois 29 (FRA)	Bologna FC 1909 (ITA)
BSC Young Boys (SUI)	FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)	FC Barcelona (ESP)	Atalanta BC (ITA)	FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)	FK Crvena zvezda (SRB)	Celtic FC (SCO)	Aston Villa FC (ENG)	VfB Stuttgart (GER)
LOSC Lille (FRA)	Real Madrid C.F. (ESP)	Liverpool FC (ENG)	Juventus (ITA)	Atlético de Madrid (ESP)	Feyenoord (NED)	Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)	SK Sturm Graz (AUT)	Bologna FC 1909 (ITA)
PSV Eindhoven (NED)	Liverpool FC (ENG)	Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)	FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)	Juventus (ITA)	Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)	FK Crvena zvezda (SRB)	Girona FC (ESP)	Stade Brestois 29 (FRA)
Feyenoord (NED)	FC Bayern München (GER)	Manchester City FC (ENG)	Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)	SL Benfica (POR)	FC Salzburg (AUT)	LOSC Lille (FRA)	AC Sparta Praha (CZE)	Girona FC (ESP)
GNK Dinamo (CRO)	Borussia Dortmund (GER)	FC Bayern München (GER)	AC Milan (ITA)	Arsenal FC (ENG)	Celtic FC (SCO)	FC Salzburg (AUT)	AS Monaco (FRA)	ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
FK Crvena zvezda (SRB)	FC Barcelona (ESP)	FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)	SL Benfica (POR)	AC Milan (ITA)	PSV Eindhoven (NED)	BSC Young Boys (SUI)	VfB Stuttgart (GER)	AS Monaco (FRA)
FC Salzburg (AUT)	Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)	Real Madrid C.F. (ESP)	Atlético de Madrid (ESP)	Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)	GNK Dinamo (CRO)	Feyenoord (NED)	Stade Brestois 29 (FRA)	AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
Celtic FC (SCO)	RB Leipzig (GER)	Borussia Dortmund (GER)	Club Brugge KV (BEL)	Atalanta BC (ITA)	BSC Young Boys (SUI)	GNK Dinamo (CRO)	ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)	Aston Villa FC (ENG)
Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)	Manchester City FC (ENG)	RB Leipzig (GER)	Arsenal FC (ENG)	Club Brugge KV (BEL)	LOSC Lille (FRA)	PSV Eindhoven (NED)	Stade Brestois 29 (FRA)	SK Sturm Graz (AUT)
VfB Stuttgart (GER)	Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)	Real Madrid C.F. (ESP)	Atalanta BC (ITA)	Juventus (ITA)	BSC Young Boys (SUI)	FK Crvena zvezda (SRB)	AC Sparta Praha (CZE)	ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
Girona FC (ESP)	Liverpool FC (ENG)	Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)	Arsenal FC (ENG)	AC Milan (ITA)	Feyenoord (NED)	PSV Eindhoven (NED)	ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)	SK Sturm Graz (AUT)
Bologna FC 1909 (ITA)	Borussia Dortmund (GER)	Liverpool FC (ENG)	FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)	SL Benfica (POR)	LOSC Lille (FRA)	Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)	AS Monaco (FRA)	Aston Villa FC (ENG)
Stade Brestois 29 (FRA)	Real Madrid C.F. (ESP)	Borussia Dortmund (GER)	Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)	FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)	PSV Eindhoven (NED)	FC Salzburg (AUT)	SK Sturm Graz (AUT)	AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
Aston Villa FC (ENG)	FC Bayern München (GER)	RB Leipzig (GER)	Juventus (ITA)	Club Brugge KV (BEL)	Celtic FC (SCO)	BSC Young Boys (SUI)	Bologna FC 1909 (ITA)	AS Monaco (FRA)
AC Sparta Praha (CZE)	FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)	Manchester City FC (ENG)	Atlético de Madrid (ESP)	Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)	FC Salzburg (AUT)	Feyenoord (NED)	Stade Brestois 29 (FRA)	VfB Stuttgart (GER)
ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)	Manchester City FC (ENG)	FC Bayern München (GER)	AC Milan (ITA)	Atlético de Madrid (ESP)	GNK Dinamo (CRO)	Celtic FC (SCO)	VfB Stuttgart (GER)	Girona FC (ESP)
AS Monaco (FRA)	FC Barcelona (ESP)	FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)	SL Benfica (POR)	Arsenal FC (ENG)	FK Crvena zvezda (SRB)	GNK Dinamo (CRO)	Aston Villa FC (ENG)	Bologna FC 1909 (ITA)
SK Sturm Graz (AUT)	RB Leipzig (GER)	Borussia Dortmund (GER)	Club Brugge KV (BEL)	Atalanta BC (ITA)	Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)	LOSC Lille (FRA)	Girona FC (ESP)	Stade Brestois 29 (FRA)

jacool

From the post above, Arsenal and Liverpool mighty be unhappy and Celtic delighted (although I did shoehorn them into this conversation, them not being English and all that :) )

Statistically the best draw an English(or Celtic!!) team could get would be:

• Borussia Dortmund    CEL
• RB Leipzig                   LIV, AST
• Club Brugge              AST, CEL
• Shakhtar Donetsk      ARS
• Red Star Belgrade    
• Young Boys                AST, CEL
• Sturm Graz
• Slovan Bratislava      MC, CEL

and the worst draw / group they could get would be:

• Real Madrid              LIV
• Inter                           MC, ARS
• Bayer Leverkusen     LIV
• Atalanta                    ARS, CEL
• Sporting CP               MC, ARS
• PSV Eindhoven          LIV
• Monaco                    ARS, AST
• Stuttgart

Downlinz

Basically no reason to watch the first round of 8 games unless you're a supporter of a team like Sturm Graz since only 12 teams will be eliminated. An actual competitive and meaningful game will first happen in the 9-24 playoff round.

It's such a shame what they've done to ruin it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122559730#Comment_122559730

Might as well cancel it so 😂

You may not have reason to watch it but you can be sure many people do.

Welcome to the Super League in everything but name. It may work, it may not.

Skeptical myself but I'll still watch it

NIMAN

Celtic couldn't have handpicked a better group in terms of potentially picking up points.

But jez, there are no attractive home ties for the fans.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122559767#Comment_122559767

Would be much better to just accept it and have an actual super league.

The match going fans across the major leagues would actually be better of without the super clubs. Would bring sustainability and affordability back into football.

rob316

I don't know is it better or worse, we'll have to see how it plays out in reality. It had to change though the group stages have been just a formality for the top teams and a slog for viewers lately.

Deeper Blue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122559730#Comment_122559730

I'd argue there's been no real reason to watch the group stages for at least the last 10 years

Liam O

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122559730#Comment_122559730

Well you'll be seeing big teams play each other competitively more than you were previously.

The carrot of getting in the top 8 should be good enough to ensure teams taking it seriously.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122560317#Comment_122560317

The teams they will meet in the last 16 will be pretty poor though. The likes of Real or City won't panic about taking it handy and missing out on top 8. Most likely they will take it handy and still make top 8.

It will only be fun for the 8-24 level teams and the old format was already fun for them fighting for second in the group. All it's done is given spots to the 16-24 teams who really shouldn't be progressing.

Liam O

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122560472#Comment_122560472

Having an extra couple of games in late February or whenever could be potentially disastrous for those teams compared to their rivals.

JP Liz V1

Liverpool looks to have got the toughest imho

Home
Real Madrid (ESP)
Leverkusen (GER)
Lille (FRA)
Bologna (ITA)

Away
Leipzig (GER)
AC Milan (ITA)
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Girona (ESP)

pavb2

As part of the new set up there’s no safety net of any team finishing 24 -28 dropping into the Europa League Competition. I think that teams that failed to qualify for the round of 38 also shouldn’t be allowed to drop into the Europa Competition, once you’re out you should be out of all European competitions.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122562894#Comment_122562894

It was always very disheartening when the later stages of the EL was a bunch of Champions League losers.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122562894#Comment_122562894

I think this would be harsh. Take Shamrock Rovers, LOI Champions. I think as champions it's important that they were given a genuine albeit extreme long-shot chance at qualifying for the Champions League. But imo, having as expected failed at CL qualification, it was correct that they had a further shot at qualifying for the lesser competitions which includes some teams more at their level.