The 2024-25 Champions League league phase draw takes place tonight (Image: GETTY)
The 2024-25 Champions League proper is upon us – only this year’s UEFA draw will be conducted in a brand new format. The Premier League’s four representatives will contest a brand new league phase rather than a group stage.
Previously there were 32 teams assorted into eight groups. Each club played six games against three opponents, facing each home and away. The top two teams from each group progressed to the last 16 of the competition.
Now, it is a 36-team tournament in a league format. Each club will play eight ‘group’ matches against eight different opponents to determine the standings.
The top eight teams progress to the round of 16 while the teams ninth to 24th will contest two-legged playoff ties with the eight winning sides going into the next round.
Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa are the four Premier League clubs waiting to find out their fates with Scottish side Celtic the fifth and final British team in tonight’s draw.
Express Sport provides live coverage of the Champions League draw below…
First teams from Pot Four
Stuttgart will face PSG, Real Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Young Boys, Crvena Zvedza, Sparta Praha and Slovan Bratislava.
Girona are drawn against Liverpool, PSG, Arsenal, AC Milan, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven, Slovan Bratislava and Sturm Graz.
Bologna will play Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Shakhtar Donetsk, Benfica, Lille, Sporting, Monaco and Aston Villa.
Brest will go up against Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Shakhtar Donetsk, PSv Eindhove, Red Bull Salzburg, Sturm Graz and Sparta Praha.
Final teams from Pot Three
Red Bull Salzburg will play PSG, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord, Brest and Sparta Praha.
Celtic are drawn against RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Atalanta, Young Boys, Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava and Aston Villa.
Sporting, the final team in Pot Three, will face Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Lille, PSV Eindhoven, Bologna and Sturm Graz.
Pot Four is up next, with Aston Villa among the sides waiting to discover their path to the knockout stages…
More teams from Pot Three
Feyenoord will play Manchester City, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Red Bull Salzburg, Lille, Sparta Praha and Girona.
Dinamo Zagreb will face Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Arsenal, Celtic, Red Bull Salzburg, Monaco and Slovan Bratislava.
Crvena Zvezda are drawn against Barcelona, Inter Milan, Benfica, AC Milan, PSv Eindhoven, Young Boys, Stuttgart and Monaco.
First teams drawn from Pot Three
Young Boys are first out. They will face Inter Milan, Barcelona, Atalanta, Shakhtar Donetsk, Crvena Zvezda, Celtic, Aston Villa and Stuttgart.
Lille will go up against Real Madrid, Liverpool, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Feyenoord, Sporting, Sturm Graz and Bologna.
PSV Eindhoven will play Liverpool, PSG, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, Sporting, Crvena Zvezda, Girona and Brest.
Pot Three up next
We’re flying through the draw!
The nine sides in Pot Three, including Celtic, will discover their opponents next…
Final teams from Pot Two
AC Milan will face Liverpool, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Bayer Leverkusen, Crvena Zvezda, Dinamo Zagreb, Girona and Slovan Bratislava.
Juventus are drawn against Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Benfica, Club Brugge, PSV Eindhoven, Lille, Stuttgart and Aston Villa.
Shakhtar Donetsk, the final team in Pot Two, will face Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Arsenal, Young Boys, PSV, Brest and Bologna.
More teams from Pot Two
Bayer Leverkusen will play Inter Milan, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Red Bull Salzburg, Feyenoord, Sparta Praha and Brest.
Arsenal will go up against PSG, Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk, Atalanta, Dinamo Zagreb, Sporting, Monaco and Girona.
Benfica will face Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Feyenoord, Crvena Zvezda, Bologna and Monaco.
First teams from Pot Two
Atletico Madrid will face RB Leipzig, PSG, Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica, Lille, Red Bull Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Praha.
Atalanta will play against Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic, Young Boys, Sturm Graaz and Stuttgart.
Club Brugge have been drawn against Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Juventus, AC Milan, Sporting, Celtic, Aston Villa and Sturm Graz.
These fixtures are not necessarily in the right order. The official calendar will be published on Saturday.
Pot Two up next
The nine teams in Pot Two are about to find out who they will be playing in the league phase.
Stay tuned…
Final teams from Pot One
Liverpool will face Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan, Lille, PSV Eindhoven, Bologna and Girona.
PSG are the final team to be drawn from Pot One.
They will play Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Red Bull Salzburg, Girona and Stuttgart.
Next teams from Pot One
Bayern Munich are drawn against PSG, Barcelona, Benfica, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord, Slovan Bratislava and Aston Villa.
RB Leipzig will face Liverpool, Inter Milan, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sporting, Celtic, Aston Villa and Sturm Graz.
Borussia Dortmund are set to play Barcelona, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Club Brugge, Celtic, Aston Villa and Sturm Graz.
Barcelona will go up against Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Benfica, Young Boys, Crvena Zvezda, Brest and Monaco.
Real Madrid have been drawn against Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, AC Milan, Atalanta, Red Bull Salzburg, Lille, Stuttgart and Brest.
First teams drawn from Pot One
Manchester City are first out.
They will face Inter Milan, PSG, Club Brugge, Juventus, Feyenoord, Sporting, Sparta Praha and Slovan Bratislava.
Inter are the second team to be drawn.
The Italian giants will go up against RB Leipzig, Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Crvena Zvezda, Young Boys, Monaco and Sparta Praha.
Here we go!
Giorgio Marchetti is ready to start proceedings, with Gianluigi Buffon and Cristiano Ronaldo helping to conduct the draw.
Stay tuned to find out who is playing who…
The draw is nearly upon us
It’s almost time for the draw!
The rules of the new format are being explained at the ceremony in a helpful video.
You can read up on the changes below.
Buffon and Ronaldo scoop UEFA accolades
Katherine Jenkins opens the show with a rousing rendition of the iconic Champions League anthem.
Aleksander Ceferin then takes to the stage to present Gianluigi Buffon with the President’s Award.
The former Italy goalkeeper is, of course, one of the greatest figures in Champions League history despite never winning the competition.
Cristiano Ronaldo is then invited up to collect his award for being the tournament’s highest scorer.
Ceferin admits he is frustrated that Ronaldo is ‘not playing in the best competition any more’ but expresses hope that he will return one day.
A star-studded ceremony
There are a host of big names in attendance for this evening’s draw.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Gianluigi Buffon have already been spotted on the red carpet.
Cristiano Ronaldo is in attendance for this evening’s draw (Image: GETTY)
Major changes to draw process
Today’s draw will be assisted by an AI supercomputer, which will help conduct the draw to choose the eight fixtures for the 36 teams.
It has been programmed to include different variables, such as preventing teams from the same nation facing each other in the league phase.
UEFA have assured clubs there is no possibility of the system being manipulated, with extra security measures in place to guard against potential cyberattacks.
What are the confirmed pots?
The pots for today’s Champions League draw have already been confirmed.
Liverpool have been placed in Pot One alongside Manchester City.
Arsenal take their place in Pot Two with the likes of Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen.
Aston Villa, who have never played in the Champions League since it was rebranded in 1992, will be in Pot Four.
CONFIRMED: #UCLdraw pots for the league phase \u2705 pic.twitter.com/hlVrDh7Hvt
\u2014 UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 28, 2024
What is the new Champions League format?
A single league format will be used this season, with teams playing eight matches against eight different teams.
Four extra clubs will be added to take the total number of participating teams up to 36.
All eight matches will be played against different sides, with four at home and four away, and organised by seeding.
The league phase will determine an overall ranking, with three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss.
The top eight finishers will automatically advance to the last 16. The 16 teams finishing between ninth and 24th will enter a play-off round over two legs.
Teams who finish 25th or below will be eliminated and will not drop down to the Europa League.
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to Express Sport’s live coverage of this year’s Champions League draw.
It will take place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, with the draw itself set to get underway at 5pm.
There will be an entirely new format in place for this season, with Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa all involved.
Stay tuned for all the latest…
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1941872/Champions-League-draw-LIVE-Arsenal-Liverpool-Man-City