As the league phase begins today, find out what awaits Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Man City.
The top four Premier League teams from the previous season will face the top teams in Europe when the UEFA Champions League resumes TODAY.
On Tuesday, Aston Villa and Liverpool are both playing. Villa, who are playing in the competition for the first time ever, go to Young Boys in Switzerland. Liverpool, the six-time champions, will play AC Milan, the seven-time winners of the competition, in Italy.
Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions, will face Internazionale on Wednesday. Internazionale is the side they defeated in the 2022–2023 Champions League final.
Arsenal will play Atalanta away on Thursday. The Gunners are participating in the competition for the second time in their history after missing the first six seasons.
First round match (17–19 Sep)
Aston Villa vs. Young Boys (Tue Sep 17, 18:45 BST)
Liverpool vs. AC Milan on Tuesday, September 17, 20:00 BST
Internationale Milano vs. Manchester City (Wed., Sep. 18, 20:00 BST)
Arsenal vs. Atalanta (Thu, Sep 19, 20:00 BST)
Alex Keble examines the potential performance of the four English teams as they compete for European championships ahead of the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League season.
Guardiola hopes for a second victory in an uncertain future.
What motivates Manchester City these days? After winning the record-tying four English league titles in a row and the "mission completed" Treble two seasons prior, Pep Guardiola has openly acknowledged considering this subject.
The manager's future, which is still up in the air, may have an impact on this season's motivation. In light of the fact that he left Bayern Munich, the team he coached before, without a single UEFA Champions League winners' medal, Guardiola could view a single one if he were to go next summer.
Before he leaves, there's a good possibility City will give him another victory. Their first Champions League victory in 2022–2023 came at the Etihad Stadium, when they crushed teams like Bayern Munich (3-0) and Real Madrid (4-0). A strange outcome last season prevented them from regaining their European title.
Man City, having drawn 3-3 in the second leg and having 33 shots to Real's eight, 18 corners to their one, and an Expected Goals (xG) of 2.74, lost to Real on penalties following a 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu.
There's no reason they can't succeed in the bigger format at the Etihad again, especially with Ilkay Gundogan back to provide control in the central midfield. To help guarantee a top-eight finish, they should cruise through their home games against Inter, Sparta Prague, Feyenoord, and Club Brugge.
Granted, their four Champions League games are followed by four difficult Premier League games: Brighton & Hove Albion (A), Liverpool (A), and Arsenal twice. perhaps unstoppable.
They really should be making a serious run at the European championship. And they could just be unstoppable if we find out in the new year that it's Guardiola's final game.
Arsenal, with more experience, should aim for the semifinals.
After a seven-year hiatus, the Gunners' return to the Champions League last year was naturally tense.
Bayern Munich's 3-2 overall loss in the quarterfinals was not embarrassing. However, it is evident that Arsenal can still do better at this level after only winning one of their five away games, 2-1 against Sevilla, and barely defeating Porto on penalties in the second round.
They haven't benefited much from the draw, as their journeys to Girona, Inter, Atalanta, and Sporting all appear difficult.
Even worse, their chances of winning the Premier League crown may be hampered by the way the away games have gone. Travels to play Inter and Atalanta in Italy come before away matches against Man City and Chelsea, respectively, while the January home game against Man City follows a trip to Girona.
Arsenal is still more formidable now than it was at this time last year. At left back, where there have been issues in the past, Jurrien Timber has had an excellent start. Additionally, a stronger showing in the knockout stages should result from the last campaign's experience.
Nobody should be afraid of Arsenal. They are among the top three or four teams in the world thanks to Mikel Arteta's construction of a roster that is essentially equivalent to Man City's.
The very least that can be expected is a semi-final appearance.
Big nights are anticipated for Slot at Anfield.
six-time champions in competitions Liverpool and the Champions League have a unique bond, so Arne Slot will need to capitalize on the excitement of European evenings at Anfield if he wants to win over the fans.
The foundation of Jurgen Klopp's ambition was victories in the Champions League, which came to an end in 2018–19. However, although the German coach had previously advanced to the final with Borussia Dortmund, the new manager has far less tournament experience.
Slot played its first season in it in 2023–24, with Feyenoord finishing third in their group after winning at home against RB Leipzig and Celtic but losing the remaining four games.
Though they may be a touch rusty, the Liverpool players have more European experience than their manager had back then. Their most recent Champions League season, 2022–2023 saw them eliminated by Real Madrid in the second round.
During the league stage, the holders are one of the four teams who come to Anfield. Even if it's challenging, it's the exact type of draw that Slot would have desired—a chance to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor by defeating the most decorated club in the competition's history in a spectacular win.
Liverpool's goal is to win it, as always. However, as this is a year of change for Slot, more focus should be on re-qualifying for the Champions League the next year. With the lights on at Anfield, historic evenings might can wait.
European prowess Emery has Villa supporters fantasizing
As expected, Newcastle United struggled to adjust to the higher level and ended up bottom of their Champions League group last season, but their supporters weren't too upset about it. Paris will always be special to them, and they will always treasure their 4-1 Tyneside triumph over PSG.
The competition must thrill Aston Villa supporters in a similar way, and in fact, there is a lot of enthusiasm around the first-ever Champions League match at Villa Park on October 2, which ironically matches them up against Bayern Munich, the team they defeated in the 1982 European Cup final.
You have to pardon Villa supporters, though, for hoping for more than a single or two memorable performances in this year's tournament. Unai Emery has already worked miracles.
Emery led Arsenal to the final of the UEFA Europa League, won it again with Villarreal, and won it three times in a row with Sevilla. In his last season with the team, he also advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League with the latter.
Given that Villarreal has far fewer resources than Villa, one wonders how far Villa can go.
While Villa has a good chance of qualifying directly for the knockout stages because to their league-phase draw, inexperience might eventually stand in their way, just like it did for Newcastle.
Premier League and European matches for clubs
Match round 2 (1-2 Oct)
Arsenal v Paris Saint-Germain (Tue 1 Oct, 20:00 BST)
Slovan Bratislava v Man City (Tue 1 Oct, 20:00 BST)
Liverpool v Bologna (Wed 2 Oct, 20:00 BST)
Aston Villa v Bayern Munich (Wed 2 Oct, 20:00 BST)
Match round 3 (22-23 Oct)
Arsenal v Shakhtar Donetsk (Tue 22 Oct, 20:00 BST)
Aston Villa v Bologna (Tue 22 Oct, 20:00 BST)
Man City v Sparta Praha (Wed 23 Oct, 20:00 BST)
RB Leipzig v Liverpool (Wed 23 Oct, 20:00 BST)
Match round 4 (5-6 Nov)
Liverpool v Bayer Leverkusen (Tue 5 Nov, 20:00 GMT)
Sporting CP v Man City (Tue 5 Nov, 20:00 GMT)
Club Brugge v Aston Villa (Wed 6 Nov, 17:45 GMT)
Inter Milan v Arsenal (Wed 6 Nov, 20:00 GMT)
Match round 5 (26-27 Nov)
Man City v Feyenoord (Tue 26 Nov, 20:00 GMT)
Sporting CP v Arsenal (Tue 26 Nov, 20:00 GMT)
Liverpool v Real Madrid (Wed 27 Nov, 20:00 GMT)
Aston Villa v Juventus (Wed 27 Nov, 20:00 GMT)
Match round 6 (10-11 Dec)
Girona v Liverpool (Tue 10 Dec, 17:45 GMT)
RB Leipzig v Aston Villa (Tue 10 Dec, 20:00 GMT)
Juventus v Man City (Wed 11 Dec, 20:00 GMT)
Arsenal v Monaco (Wed 11 Dec, 20:00 GMT)
Match round 7 (21-22 Jan)
Monaco v Aston Villa (Tue 21 Jan, 17:45 GMT)
Liverpool v LOSC Lille (Tue 21 Jan, 20:00 GMT)
Paris Saint-Germain v Man City (Wed 22 Jan, 20:00 GMT)
Arsenal v Dinamo Zagreb (Wed 22 Jan, 20:00 GMT)
Match round 8 (29 Jan)
PSV v Liverpool (Wed 29 Jan, 20:00 GMT)
Man City v Club Brugge (Wed 29 Jan, 20:00 GMT)
Aston Villa v Celtic (Wed 29 Jan, 20:00 GMT)
Girona v Arsenal (Wed 29 Jan, 20:00 GMT)
Knockout stage dates
Knockout round playoffs: 11-12 and 18-19 February 2025
Round of 16: 4-5 and 11-12 March 2025
Quarter-finals: 8-9 and 15-16 April 2025
Semi-finals: 29-30 April and 6-7 May 2025
Final: 31 May 2025, Munich
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