Champions League 2024-25 Draw: This Season’s Must-Watch Fixtures in Europe
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
The change to the format of the Champions League is aimed at introducing a better competitive balance between all the teams in the competition, while also raising the importance of winning every match. For fans, it means that they will have the opportunity to see their team face a wider variety of clubs across Europe while competing under one unified league table.
While the official fixture calendar is yet to be released, the Champions League Draw has been completed and we’ve picked out a few of the blockbuster matchups that are likely to dominate the headlines and betting markets.
Don't forget, SportyTrader will be providing our expert Champions League predictions throughout the competition, so be sure to check them out!
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Tough Tests Ahead for the Defending Champions
Home Fixtures: Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, FC Salzburg, Stuttgart
Away Fixtures: Liverpool, Atalanta, Lille, Brest
Kicking off with the 2023-24 Champions League winners Real Madrid - Los Blancos have a tricky journey ahead, drawn to face two of the teams they beat in the final in the last three seasons, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. Carlo Ancelotti’s side will also come up against stern tests from Serie A giants AC Milan as well as reigning Europa League champions Atalanta during the League Phase.
A major positive for Los Merengues is that two of their three toughest matches (Dortmund and AC Milan) are at the Santiago Bernabeu, and will potentially be crucial to their quest of winning a record-extending 16th Champions League title. The trip to Anfield is sure to be a spine-chilling atmosphere, while Kylian Mbappe will also return to France to face his brother at Brest.
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Manchester City Drawn in Pool of Champions
Home Fixtures: Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, Sparta Praha
Away Fixtures: Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Sporting Lisbon, Slovan Bratislava
Premier League champions Manchester City was the first team name drawn out of Pot 1 in the new-format draw and they are pitted against several top names that have won their respective domestic leagues across Europe. The first is perennial Ligue 1 winners Paris Saint-Germain, who Pep Guadriola’s side will face at the Parc des Princes, while the second is Serie A champions Inter Milan, who will make the trip to the Etihad Stadium to take on their Premier League counterparts.
The Citizens will also head to Turin’s Allianz Stadium this season to square off against Juventus, while a stop in Lisbon to face a dangerous Sporting Lisbon will not be a straightforward task. All totted up, three of City’s four toughest matches on paper are set to be played on the road, making home games against Club Brugge, Feyenoord and Spart Prague all the more important.
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Bayern Munich Crack Favourable Draw
Home Fixtures: Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, GNK Dinamo, Slovan Bratislava
Away Fixtures: Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, Feyenoord, Aston Villa
If you had offered Vincent Kompany this set of fixtures before the draw took place, the Bayern Munich boss would likely have taken them with open arms. A trip to Camp Nou is likely to be the Bavarians' biggest obstacle, but outside of that, the Bundesliga behemoths will fancy their chances of winning the rest of the matches, including a home showdown against PSG, who have yet to replace Mbappe.
Unfortunately, there will be no homecoming for Kompany, with his team sidestepping the challenge of Manchester City, but perhaps that’s a fixture being saved for later in the competition. Will Harry Kane finally break his trophyless duck with Europe’s ultimate crown?
Villa Park in for a Treat
Home Fixtures: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bologna, Celtic
Away Fixtures: Young Boys, Club Brugge, Leipzig, Monaco
After a four-decade absence from Europe’s elite club competition, Aston Villa fans are in for a treat this season, with their beloved team pulling off arguably the best draw they could have imagined. That is not because they have the easiest fixtures in the competition, but due to the fact that their matches against two of the biggest teams in the world are set to take place at Villa Park.
Bayern Munich and Juventus are set to visit Birmingham this season and you can rest assured there will not be an empty seat in the house when these titans of Europe arrive on Trinity Road. However, while Unai Emery’s side will relish the opportunity to be a part of these European nights, the road to the Playoff Stage is far from guaranteed and balancing Premier League as well as continental football is never an easy task.
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Other Champions League Fixtures to Keep an Eye on in 2024-25
Liverpool will welcome club legend Xabi Alonso back to Anfield this summer, but the Spaniard will be in the opposing dugout with his Bayer Leverkusen side that shocked the Bundesliga last season when they won the title unbeaten. The Reds will also host Real Madrid and will be out for revenge for that painful Champions League final defeat in 2022.
Mikel Arteta will be fairly content with Arsneal’s draw, as they managed to avoid the likes of Los Blancos, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, who knocked them out of the competition last season. The Gunners’ major challenges will come in the shape of Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates Stadium and a trip to the San Siro in the Italian capital to face Inter Milan.
Celtic, the final British team in the competition, will entertain German outfit Leipzig at Celtic Park and will also travel to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund. However, all eyes will be on former Leicester City and Liverpool manager Brendan Rogers when he returns to England to take on Aston Villa.
