Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

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Winston Biscuit
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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Winston Biscuit » 23 Jan 2025 15:27

I don't know how I feel about the new format tbh. I don't think I care enough about the competition to have much of a feeling either way really

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Winston Biscuit » 29 Jan 2025 12:27

big night tonight. 18 games all kicking off at the same time. the main night for the new format I suppose, this is what it was all for.

Only Liverpool & Barcelona are guaranteed being in the top 8.

PSG away to Stuttgart looks huge

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Pepe the Horseman » 29 Jan 2025 13:01

Winston Biscuit big night tonight. 18 games all kicking off at the same time. the main night for the new format I suppose, this is what it was all for.

Only Liverpool & Barcelona are guaranteed being in the top 8.

PSG away to Stuttgart looks huge

I've not been keeping up with it at all. Is it top 16 go through? Also how did they decide who played who in the group stage, was it just random?

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Stranded » 29 Jan 2025 13:11

Pepe the Horseman
Winston Biscuit big night tonight. 18 games all kicking off at the same time. the main night for the new format I suppose, this is what it was all for.

Only Liverpool & Barcelona are guaranteed being in the top 8.

PSG away to Stuttgart looks huge

I've not been keeping up with it at all. Is it top 16 go through? Also how did they decide who played who in the group stage, was it just random?


Top 8 go direct to Round of 16

Next 16 go to a play-off round to decide the other 8 clubs.

Rest are knocked out.

In terms of who plays who, I know the clubs were split into 4 pots and each team plays 2 teams from each pot - I'm not sure how the figured out which 2 each club played but they couldn't be from the same domestic competition. Think from now on you can face a team from your own league.

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Winston Biscuit » 29 Jan 2025 13:18

Pepe the Horseman
Winston Biscuit big night tonight. 18 games all kicking off at the same time. the main night for the new format I suppose, this is what it was all for.

Only Liverpool & Barcelona are guaranteed being in the top 8.

PSG away to Stuttgart looks huge

I've not been keeping up with it at all. Is it top 16 go through? Also how did they decide who played who in the group stage, was it just random?


Top 8 are through to the knockouts. bottom 12 are out. middle 16 have 1 play off round against someone else in there, with it being weighted whereby the higher you finish the lower your opponent finished (but there is an extra draw to be made to decide that which all seems quite pointless to me)

At the start all teams were put into pots 1-4 based on quality, then each team had 8 opponents selected from across the groups, so everyone had the same number if games against pt2 teams, against pot 3 teams etc.

The big selling point of this new format was that there would be fewer, if any at all, meaningless group games, and that does appear to be the case, and tonight's final round of group games is meant to be some kind of orgasmic extravaganza of football joviality where every goal could shake up the table, sending shockwaves around the world, deciding the fate or impact another result elsewhere etc. I doubt that will be the case, but there is likely be 2 or 3 surprise results I guess.

As was pointed out by a journalist this morning, the format seems to have been a success, but mainly the excitement this season has been 2 or 3 big boys have struggled which has made things exciting, but thats not the format that forced that, its just by chance happened


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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Pepe the Horseman » 29 Jan 2025 13:41

Good stuff. Thanks!

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Sanguine » 29 Jan 2025 14:33

Pepe the Horseman Good stuff. Thanks!


In addition - the round of 16 draw is partially pre-determined based on league position. So Liverpool already know that whether they finish 1st or 2nd, they will play a team in the bracket 15th-18th, which currently includes Bayern, Real and Juventus. :D

But, with only three points between 7th and 20th in the table, the whole thing will likely get shaken up tonight.

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Winston Biscuit » 29 Jan 2025 20:12

TNT Putting 'the goals show' behind the red button is a massive blunder imo.

Tonight's big list of fixtures and all the changing impacts of goals were made for that kind of show.

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Winston Biscuit » 29 Jan 2025 20:48

Man City 0-1 Club Brugge at half time. Lol


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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Sutekh » 30 Jan 2025 07:37

Draw is on Friday at 11am. Live on UEFA’s YouTube channel and on TNT Sports 2.

Definitely through to the second round of 16

Liverpool
Barcelona
Arsenal
Inter Milan
Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen
Lille
Aston Villa

Play offs for the round of 16

Atalanta
Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid
Bayern Munich
AC Milan
PSV Eindhoven
Paris St Germain
Benfica

Monaco
Brest
Feyenoord
Juventus
Celtic
Manchester City
Sporting Lisbon
Club Bruges

The draw pits the teams that finished 9th to 16th against each other for a place in the last 16. The teams that finished 9th to 16th will be seeded and therefore play their second legs at home. After the draw teams will be able to see their possible route to the final. Clubs from the same countries are no longer protected from meeting each other.

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Sanguine » 30 Jan 2025 08:12

I'm still going to say I don't like the format, but have to admit that last night was excellent. If that's what UEFA had in mind, then it worked.

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Winston Biscuit » 30 Jan 2025 08:19

because this silly draw happening just sorting out which of the 2 teams each team can face, if I understand it correctly we know right now:

Man City will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. Celtic will play the one that Man City are not playing

last 16:

Liverpool will play either Monaco, Brest, PSG or Benfica.

Arsenal will play either Feyenoord, Juventus, AC Milan or PSV.

Villa will play either Sporting Lisbon, Club Brugge, Atalanta or Borussia Dortmund.

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Stranded » 30 Jan 2025 08:22

Sanguine I'm still going to say I don't like the format, but have to admit that last night was excellent. If that's what UEFA had in mind, then it worked.


If their plan was for there to be drama that ends with all the big clubs making the knock rounds, then they definitely succeeded - the fact that the play-off round will now have some "big" match ups i.e. Man City will play Bayern or Real is an added bonus for them.


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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Sanguine » 30 Jan 2025 08:42

@ Sutekh, worth a note again that brackets are already partially determined, clubs are already in pairs and on a route to the final.

Monaco or Brest v PSG or Benfica >> will play Liverpool or Barcelona
Sporting or Club Brugge v Atalanta or Dortmund >> Lille or Villa
Celtic or Man City v Real or Bayern >> Atletico or Leverkusen
Feyenoord or Juventus v Milan or PSV >> Inter or Arsenal

Those pairs generate eight ties, which are what will be drawn tomorrow. The top two lines are also one SF path, the bottom two the other.

City will have to face three of Real, Bayern, Atletico, Leverkusen, Inter and Arsenal just reach the SFs.

Liverpool could meet Villa in the QFs, but can't play Barcelona until the final.

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Sutekh » 31 Jan 2025 11:22

Sanguine @ Sutekh, worth a note again that brackets are already partially determined, clubs are already in pairs and on a route to the final.

Monaco or Brest v PSG or Benfica >> will play Liverpool or Barcelona
Sporting or Club Brugge v Atalanta or Dortmund >> Lille or Villa
Celtic or Man City v Real or Bayern >> Atletico or Leverkusen
Feyenoord or Juventus v Milan or PSV >> Inter or Arsenal

Those pairs generate eight ties, which are what will be drawn tomorrow. The top two lines are also one SF path, the bottom two the other.

City will have to face three of Real, Bayern, Atletico, Leverkusen, Inter and Arsenal just reach the SFs.

Liverpool could meet Villa in the QFs, but can't play Barcelona until the final.



What a ******* rigmarole. Why not just randomly draw the sides to play each other. Talk about drawing it out in the most over complicated red tape way possible. Suppose it’s typical of anything that involves European governing bodies.

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Sutekh » 31 Jan 2025 11:25

Eventually Man City get Madrid. So Celtic get Munich.

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Sutekh » 31 Jan 2025 11:29

11 & 19 Feb

Man City v Real Madrid
Celtic v Bayern Munich
Bruges v Atalanta
Juventus v PSV
Sporting v Dortmund
Brest v PSG
Feyenoord v Milan
Monaco v Benfica

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Sanguine » 31 Jan 2025 12:06

And then in three weeks time, we have another draw for the last 16, even though, as above, the pairs are already decided.

So we'll have the eight playoff winners being drawn against the top 8 sides - but we already know that the winners of PSG v Brest (awful draw for the French team after an excellent campaign) and Monaco v Benfica, will play Liverpool or Barcelona.

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Sutekh » 31 Jan 2025 12:22

Despite them being the proverbial financial basket case, Barcelona have been mightily impressive this time round.

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Re: Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

by Dirk Gently » 31 Jan 2025 12:22

Celtic receive a disciplinary notice from UEFA following the smoke bombs at Villa Park, so quite possible they won't get any away allocation for the Bayern match.

It is incumbent on the club to make supporters aware of this risk, when considering making arrangements for travel.

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