The UEFA Champions League returns TODAY as last season's top four sides in the Premier League pit themselves against the best teams from across Europe.
Aston Villa and Liverpool are both in action on Tuesday. Villa, competing in the competition for the first time in their history, visit Swiss side Young Boys. Meanwhile, six-time winners Liverpool travel to Italy to face AC Milan, who have won the tournament seven times.
On Wednesday, Premier League title-holders Manchester City host Internazionale, the team they defeated in the 2022/23 Champions League final.
Thursday’s fixtures include Arsenal away to Atalanta. The Gunners are playing in the competition for the second consecutive campaign, having been absent for the previous six seasons.
Match round 1 (17-19 Sep)
Young Boys v Aston Villa (Tue 17 Sep, 17:45 BST)
AC Milan v Liverpool (Tue 17 Sep, 20:00 BST)
Manchester City v Internazionale Milano (Wed 18 Sep, 20:00 BST)
Atalanta v Arsenal (Thu 19 Sep, 20:00 BST)
Ahead of the start of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, Alex Keble looks at how the four English clubs could fare as they bid for European glory.
Guardiola eyes second triumph amid uncertain future
What drives Man City on these days? It’s a question Pep Guardiola has publicly admitted to contemplating following the “mission accomplished” Treble two seasons ago and the record-breaking four English league titles in a row.
Maybe this season's motivation will be linked to the manager's future, which remains unclear. If Guardiola were to leave next summer, he may see a single UEFA Champions League winners’ medal as underachievement, especially after leaving Bayern Munich, the club he previously managed, without one.
There is every chance City will give him a second triumph before he departs. Having destroyed the likes of Bayern Munich (3-0) and Real Madrid (4-0) at the Etihad Stadium on the way to their first Champions League success in 2022/23, they only fell short of retaining their European crown last season because of a freak result.
Man City, after a 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu, went out of the quarter-finals on penalties against Real after drawing 1-1 in the return leg despite having 33 shots to Real’s eight, 18 corners to their one, and amassing an Expected Goals (xG) of 2.74.
With Ilkay Gundogan returning to add control in central midfield, there is no reason they won’t again excel at the Etihad in the expanded format. They ought to ease through home matches against Inter, Sparta Prague, Feyenoord and Club Brugge to help secure a top-eight finish.
Granted, four tough Premier League matches - Brighton & Hove Albion (A), Liverpool (A), and Arsenal twice – follow their four games in the Champions League. But City have the squad depth and the nous to navigate that workload.
They really ought to be challenging strongly for the European crown. And if, in the new year, we learn that it’s to be Guardiola’s last hurrah, well, they might just be unstoppable.
More-experienced Arsenal should target semi-finals
The Gunners' return to the Champions League last year after a seven-year absence was understandably fraught with tension.
A 3-2 aggregate defeat by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals was no disgrace. But after scraping past Porto on penalties in the second round – and winning just one of their five away games, 2-1 at Sevilla – clearly Arsenal have room for improvement at this level.
The draw has done them few favours, with trips to Inter, Atalanta, Sporting and Girona all looking tough.
Worse still, the way the away fixtures have fallen could impact their Premier League title challenge. Trips to Italy to play Atalanta and Inter precede away games against Man City and Chelsea respectively, while the home match against Man City in January comes just after a visit to Girona.
Nevertheless, Arsenal are stronger than this time last year. Jurrien Timber has made a superb start at left-back, previously a problem area. In addition, the experience of the previous campaign should mean an improved performance in the knockout rounds.
Arsenal shouldn’t fear anyone. Mikel Arteta has built a squad more or less of Man City’s equal, which means they are among the top three or four teams in the world. A semi-final appearance is the minimum expectation.
Slot has big nights ahead at Anfield
Six-time competition winners Liverpool have a special relationship with the Champions League, and if Arne Slot is to really endear himself to their supporters, he will need to tap into the magic of European nights at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp’s project was built on Champions League runs, culminating in the 2018/19 win, but whereas the German had already reached a final with Borussia Dortmund, the new man is considerably less experienced in the tournament.
The 2023/24 season was Slot’s debut campaign in it and Feyenoord came third in their group, winning home games against RB Leipzig and Celtic but losing the other four fixtures.
Tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/XRlgEWGWdc
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 16, 2024
The Liverpool players have more European experience than their manager then, although they might be a little rusty. In 2022/23, their most recent season in the Champions League, they were knocked out in the second round by Real Madrid.
The holders are one of the four clubs visiting Anfield in the league phase. As difficult as it is, it’s the kind of draw Slot would have wanted; an opportunity to emulate his predecessor early on with an unforgettable victory against the most decorated club in the competition’s history.
The aim for Liverpool, as always, is to win it. But in a transitional year for Slot, greater emphasis ought to be placed on re-qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Historic nights under the Anfield floodlights can wait.
Emery’s European skills have Villa fans dreaming
Newcastle United finished bottom of their Champions League group last season after predictably struggling to cope with the step up - but their supporters didn’t mind too much. They will always have Paris, cherishing the memory of a 4-1 victory over PSG on Tyneside.
Aston Villa fans must surely feel a similar way about the competition, and indeed there is huge excitement about the first ever Champions League game at Villa Park on 2 October which, poetically, pits them against Bayern Munich – the club they defeated in the 1982 European Cup final.
But you can forgive Villa fans for dreaming of more than just one or two great moments in this year’s competition. Unai Emery has performed miracles before.
In the UEFA Europa League, Emery achieved three consecutive titles with Sevilla, took Arsenal to the final, and won it again with Villarreal. He also reached the Champions League semi-finals with the latter in his final season at the club.
Villa have considerably greater resources than Villarreal, which makes you wonder just how deep they can go.
The league-phase draw certainly gives Villa a decent chance of going straight through to the knockout rounds, although ultimately, like Newcastle, inexperience could halt their progress.
Clubs' European and Premier League fixtures
| MCI | ARS | LIV | AVL | |
| UCL | INT (H) | ATA (A) | MIL (A) | YB (A) |
| MW5 | ARS (H) | MCI (A) | BOU (H) | WOL (H) |
| MW6 | NEW (A) | LEI (H) | WOL (A) | IPS (A) |
| UCL | SLO (A) | PSG (H) | BOL (H) | FCB (H) |
| MW7 | FUL (H) | SOU (H) | CRY (A) | MUN (H) |
| MW8 | WOL (A) | BOU (A) | CHE (H) | FUL (A) |
| UCL | ACS (H) | SHD (H) | RBL (A) | BOL (H) |
| MW9 | SOU (H) | LIV (H) | ARS (A) | BOU (H) |
| MW10 | BOU (A) | NEW (A) | BHA (H) | TOT (A) |
| UCL | SCP (A) | INT (A) | LEV (H) | CLU (A) |
| MW11 | BHA (A) | CHE (A) | AVL (H) | LIV (A) |
| MW12 | TOT (H) | NFO (H) | SOU (A) | CRY (H) |
| UCL | FEY (H) | SCP (A) | RMA (H) | JUV (H) |
| MW13 | LIV (A) | WHU (A) | MCI (H) | CHE (A) |
| MW14 | NFO (H) | MUN (H) | NEW (A) | BRE (H) |
| MW15 | CRY (A) | FUL (A) | EVE (A) | SOU (H) |
| UCL | JUV (A) | ASM (H) | GIR (A) | RBL (A) |
| MW16 | MUN (H) | EVE (H) | FUL (H) | NFO (A) |
| MW17 | AVL (A) | CRY (A) | TOT (A) | MCI (H) |
| MW18 | EVE (H) | IPS (H) | LEI (H) | NEW (A) |
| MW19 | LEI (A) | BRE (A) | WHU (A) | BHA (H) |
| MW20 | WHU (H) | BHA (A) | MUN (H) | LEI (H) |
| MW21 | BRE (A) | TOT (H) | NFO (A) | EVE (A) |
| MW22 | IPS (A) | AVL (H) | BRE (A) | ARS (A) |
| UCL | PSG (A) | DIN (A) | LIL (H) | ASM (A) |
| MW23 | CHE (H) | WOL (A) | IPS (H) | WHU (H) |
| UCL | CLU (H) | GIR (A) | PSV (A) | CEL (H) |
| MW24 | ARS (A) | MCI (H) | BOU (A) | WOL (A) |
| UCL | Knockout playoff (1st leg) | |||
| MW25 | NEW (H) | LEI (A) | WOL (H) | IPS (H) |
| UCL | Knockout playoff (2nd leg) | |||
| MW26 | LIV (H) | WHU (H) | MCI (A) | CHE (H) |
| MW27 | TOT (A) | NFO (A) | NEW (H) | CRY (A) |
| UCL | Round of 16 (1st leg) | |||
| MW28 | NFO (A) | MUN (A) | SOU (H) | BRE (A) |
| UCL | Round of 16 (2nd leg) | |||
| MW29 | BHA (H) | CHE (H) | AVL (A) | LIV (H) |
| MW30 | LEI (H) | FUL (H) | EVE (H) | BHA (A) |
| MW31 | MUN (A) | EVE (A) | FUL (A) | NFO (H) |
| UCL | Quarter-finals (1st leg) | |||
| MW32 | CRY (H) | BRE (H) | WHU (H) | SOU (A) |
| UCL | Quarter-finals (2nd leg) | |||
| MW33 | EVE (A) | IPS (A) | LEI (A) | NEW (H) |
| MW34 | AVL (H) | CRY (H) | TOT (H) | MCI (A) |
| UCL | Semi-finals (1st leg) | |||
| MW35 | WOL (H) | BOU (H) | CHE (A) | FUL (H) |
| UCL | Semi-finals (2nd leg) | |||
| MW36 | SOU (A) | LIV (A) | ARS (H) | BOU (A) |
| MW37 | BOU (H) | NEW (H) | BHA (A) | TOT (H) |
| MW38 | FUL (A) | SOU (A) | CRY (H) | MUN (A) |
| UCL | Final | |||
See: Full list of UEFA Champions League fixtures
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
