The Champions League is back with a new format, but what will it take for a team to reach the knockout stages?
New formats have created new expectations in Europe this season, with clubs mathematically calculating how many points they need to reach the knockout stages under a new league tier structure.
Instead of the traditional format of eight groups of four teams each, with the top two from each group progressing to the round of 16, a new “Swiss-style” league format of 36 teams has been introduced this season.
of Top 8 Sides In the league Automatically advances to the round of 16the team 9th to 24th place Compete Best-of-two playoffs They will play against each other to qualify for the top eight teams in that round of the competition.
The bottom 12 teams, those ranked 25th to 36th, will be eliminated and will not be able to participate in the Europa League.
So how many points do they need to avoid early elimination? And how many points do they need to skip the playoff round and make it into the top eight?
What does it take to get into the top eight?
The Opta supercomputer 16 Points Possible from 24 – so 5 wins and 1 draw from 8 gamesor any other combination is almost certain Finish in the top eightwhich Guaranteed place in the last 16 In the New Year.
The data is also 15 Points – So 5 wins from 8 gamesor any other combination could be enough points to slide into eighth place, and that points total was good enough in 73% of Opta’s 50,000 simulations of the league stage.
14 Pointsso 4 wins, 2 drawswhich likely won’t be enough for a top 8 finish. Aim for 5 wins He will likely be a target for the biggest teams.
What about making the playoffs?
To Enter the top 24Opta believes that at the very least, a play-off spot is guaranteed. 10 Points – So 3 wins, 1 drawor any other combination, you’re almost guaranteed to advance to that round.
This means that any team that wins their opening Champions League match will need just seven points from the remaining seven matches to qualify for the playoffs.
Nine points – So 3 wins from 8 gamesor any other combination would be good enough for a 24th-place finish, and that points total would be good enough for 69 percent of simulations.
but, 8 points – So 2 wins, 2 drawsor any other combination, runs the risk of being eliminated, with its points total being enough for just 16 percent of the simulations.
The team will target At least 3 wins out of 8 matches This is to give them the best chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Champions League table – which teams will qualify?
Arsenal fixtures
September 19: Atalanta vs ArsenalJewis Stadium, kick-off 8pm
October 1: Arsenal vs Paris Saint-GermainEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm
October 22: Arsenal vs Shakhtar DonetskEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm
November 6: Inter Milan vs ArsenalSan Siro, kick-off 8pm
November 26: Sporting Lisbon vs ArsenalJose Alvalade Stadium, kickoff 8pm
December 11: Arsenal vs MonacoEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm
January 22: Arsenal vs Dinamo ZagrebEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm
January 29: Girona vs ArsenalEstadi Montilivi, kick-off 8pm
Aston Villa match schedule
September 17: Young Boys 0-3 Aston Villa
October 2: Aston Villa vs Bayern MunichVilla Park, kick-off 8pm
October 22: Aston Villa vs BolognaVilla Park, kick-off 8pm
November 6: Club Brugge vs Aston VillaJan Breydel Stadium, kick-off 5:45pm
November 27: Aston Villa vs JuventusVilla Park, kick-off 8pm
December 10: RB Leipzig vs Aston VillaRed Bull Arena, kickoff 8pm
January 21: AS Monaco vs Aston VillaLouis II Stadium, kickoff 5:45pm
January 29: Aston Villa vs CelticVilla Park, kick-off 8pm
Liverpool match schedule
September 17: AC Milan 1-3 Liverpool
October 2: Liverpool vs BolognaAnfield, kick-off 8pm
October 23: RB Leipzig vs Liverpool, Red Bull Arena, kickoff 8pm
November 5: Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen, Anfield, kick-off 8pm
November 27: Liverpool vs Real Madrid, Anfield, kick-off 8pm
December 10: Girona vs Liverpool, Estadi Montilivi, kick-off 5.45pm
January 21: Liverpool vs Lille, Anfield, kick-off 8pm
January 29: PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool, Philips Stadium, kickoff 8pm
Manchester City match schedule
September 18: Manchester City 0-0 Inter Milan
October 1: Slovakia Bratislava vs Man City, Národni Futbarovy Stadium, kick-off 8pm
October 23: Manchester City vs Sparta PragueEtihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm
November 5: Sporting CP vs Manchester City, Jose Alvalade Stadium, kickoff 8pm
November 26: Manchester City vs Feyenoord, Etihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm
December 11: Juventus vs Manchester City, Allianz Stadium, kick-off 8pm
January 22: Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester City, Parc des Princes, kick-off 8pm
January 29: Manchester City vs Club Brugge, Etihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm
Celtic fixtures
September 18: Celtic 5-1 Slovan Bratislava
October 1: Borussia Dortmund vs CelticSignal Iunda Park, kick-off 8pm
October 23: Atalanta vs CelticJewis Stadium, kick-off 5.45pm
November 5: Celtic vs RB LeipzigCeltic Park, kick-off 8pm
November 27: Celtic vs Club BruggeCeltic Park, kick-off 8pm
December 10: Dinamo Zagreb vs CelticMaksimir Stadium, kick-off 5:45pm
January 22: Celtic vs Young BoysCeltic Park, kick-off 8pm
January 29: Aston Villa vs CelticVilla Park, kick-off 8pm
When are the 2024/25 Champions League league stage matches?
- Matchday 1: 17th – 19th September 2024
- Matchday 2: 1/2 October 2024
- Round 3: 22/23 October 2024
- Round 4: November 5th/6th, 2024
- Round 5: November 26th/27th, 2024
- Round 6: December 10th/11th, 2024
- Round 7: January 21st/22nd, 2025
- Round 8: January 29, 2025
When is the knockout stage of the 2024/25 Champions League?
- Knockout Round Playoffs: February 11/12 and 18/19, 2025
- Round of 16: 4/5 March and 11/12 March 2025
- Quarterfinals: 8/9 April and 15/16 April 2025
- Semi-finals: April 29th/30th, May 6th/7th, 2025
- Last updated: May 31, 2025
Where will the 2025 Champions League Final be held?
The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season will take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich on 31 May 2025.
