What is the new format of the UEFA Champions League?
Instead of the usual 32 teams, 36 clubs will participate in the Champions League stage (former group stage), giving four more teams the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe. Those 36 clubs will participate in a single league competition in which the 36 competing clubs qualify together.
Under the new format, teams will play eight games in the new league stage (old group stage). They will no longer play three opponents twice (home and away), but will instead face matches against eight different teams, playing half of those games at home and the other half away. To determine the eight different opponents, the teams were initially classified into four pots. Each team was drawn to play two opponents from each of these pots, playing one match against one team from each pot at home and one away.
Important matches of matchday 1
Game Week 1 will begin at 10:15 p.m. m. IST on Tuesday with two-time winners Juventus hosting Dutch champions PSV at the Allianz Stadium and Aston Villa, the team returning to the competition for the first time in 42 years. We hope to achieve a victorious comeback when they face Young Boys from Sweden.
Defending champions and record holders Real Madrid will be in action at 12:30 am IST (Wednesday) aiming to extend their lead as record winners of the trophy against Bundesliga side VFB Stuttgart.
"The format changes, but it is always the same teams, including Real Madrid. There are others. Some people think we are favorites because we won last year. This year's Champions League will be a different story and, hopefully, we can reach to the end." final as we did last season," Ancelotti said in the pre-match press conference.
AC Milan and Liverpool will do battle at the San Siro stadium as Arne Slot's men hope to bounce back from the shock 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. This clash has a lot of history as the two teams have won the trophy together 13 times. It is also a rematch of the iconic 2005 UCL final, which is often considered one of the greatest finals of all time.
With the red half of Milan taking on Italian champions Liverpool, Inter Milan will take on English champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Simone Inzaghi's men will be aware of Erling Haaland's brilliant form as he seeks his 100th goal for the club. The Norwegian forward has already scored nine goals in just four games this season, including two hat tricks.
Complete schedule of the first day
Tuesday September 17
Young Boys vs Aston Villa
Juventus-PSV
Milan vs Liverpool
Bayern Munich vs GNK Dinamo
Real Madrid-Stuttgart
Sporting CP vs Lille
Wednesday, September 18
Sparta Prague vs Salzburg
Bologna vs Shakhtar
Celtic vs S. Bratislava
Club Brugge vs B. Dortmund
Manchester City-Inter
Paris vs Girona
Thursday September 19
Feyenoord vs Leverkusen
Red Star vs Benfica
Monaco vs Barcelona
Atalanta-Arsenal
Atlético de Madrid vs RB Leipzig
Brest vs. Sturm Graz
Where to watch the UEFA Champions League in India?
The UEFA Champions League will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network and live on SonyLIV in India.
Instead of the usual 32 teams, 36 clubs will participate in the Champions League stage (former group stage), giving four more teams the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe. Those 36 clubs will participate in a single league competition in which the 36 competing clubs qualify together.
Under the new format, teams will play eight games in the new league stage (old group stage). They will no longer play three opponents twice (home and away), but will instead face matches against eight different teams, playing half of those games at home and the other half away. To determine the eight different opponents, the teams were initially classified into four pots. Each team was drawn to play two opponents from each of these pots, playing one match against one team from each pot at home and one away.
Important matches of matchday 1
Game Week 1 will begin at 10:15 p.m. m. IST on Tuesday with two-time winners Juventus hosting Dutch champions PSV at the Allianz Stadium and Aston Villa, the team returning to the competition for the first time in 42 years. We hope to achieve a victorious comeback when they face Young Boys from Sweden.
Defending champions and record holders Real Madrid will be in action at 12:30 am IST (Wednesday) aiming to extend their lead as record winners of the trophy against Bundesliga side VFB Stuttgart.
"The format changes, but it is always the same teams, including Real Madrid. There are others. Some people think we are favorites because we won last year. This year's Champions League will be a different story and, hopefully, we can reach to the end." final as we did last season," Ancelotti said in the pre-match press conference.
AC Milan and Liverpool will do battle at the San Siro stadium as Arne Slot's men hope to bounce back from the shock 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. This clash has a lot of history as the two teams have won the trophy together 13 times. It is also a rematch of the iconic 2005 UCL final, which is often considered one of the greatest finals of all time.
With the red half of Milan taking on Italian champions Liverpool, Inter Milan will take on English champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Simone Inzaghi's men will be aware of Erling Haaland's brilliant form as he seeks his 100th goal for the club. The Norwegian forward has already scored nine goals in just four games this season, including two hat tricks.
Complete schedule of the first day
Tuesday September 17
Young Boys vs Aston Villa
Juventus-PSV
Milan vs Liverpool
Bayern Munich vs GNK Dinamo
Real Madrid-Stuttgart
Sporting CP vs Lille
Wednesday, September 18
Sparta Prague vs Salzburg
Bologna vs Shakhtar
Celtic vs S. Bratislava
Club Brugge vs B. Dortmund
Manchester City-Inter
Paris vs Girona
Thursday September 19
Feyenoord vs Leverkusen
Red Star vs Benfica
Monaco vs Barcelona
Atalanta-Arsenal
Atlético de Madrid vs RB Leipzig
Brest vs. Sturm Graz
Where to watch the UEFA Champions League in India?
The UEFA Champions League will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network and live on SonyLIV in India.
