The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League season is finally here!
The beloved European club competition returns this midweek for its 70th season, with Spanish giants Real Madrid commencing their title defense just over three months after beating Dortmund 1-0 in last season's final to lift the trophy for the 15th time.
Not only will football fans be treated to top-quality football but the tournament has been revamped, meaning this season's UEFA Champions League campaign will undergo a new format.
This means 2024-25 promises more exciting matches, with Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid all facing tricky tests from Matchday 1. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the opening round.
Where can I watch 2024-25 UEFA Champions League games live on TV in the U.S.?
UEFA Champions League fans can follow games from this competition both in English and Spanish. Those who want to follow live games on TV with English commentary can do so on CBS and CBS Sports Network. Meanwhile, Spanish-language coverage will be available on Univisión, UniMás, and TUDN USA. Out of the 36 Matchday 1 matches being played, nine in total will be televised this weekend, including games featuring Juventus, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid.
Where can I live stream 2024-25 UEFA Champions League games?
Fans based in the USA can live stream the UEFA Champions League on different platforms. English-language options to follow the competition include Paramount+, fuboTV, and CBS Sports Golazo. For Spanish-speaking users, ViX, Univision NOW, TUDN.com, and the TUDN App are their main options to keep track of the competition on-the-go. All games will be streamed on Paramount+ and ViX this week.
Top games to watch
The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League commences this midweek, with Juventus vs PSV and Young Boys vs Aston Villa kicking off the revamped tournament this Tuesday. However, all eyes will be on Liverpool's trip to AC Milan, with Arne Slot making his European debut with the Merseyside giants. The Reds won 2-1 when they last visited the San Siro back in 2021 but that was when Klopp was at helm.
Salah and Co. enter this fixture on the back of their disappointing 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at Anfield over the weekend while the Rossoneri secured their first win of the Serie A season, beating Venezia 4-0 on Saturday. Do not miss this European classic.
Real Madrid kick off their title defense that same day, with the Spanish giants hosting Stuttgart. All eyes will be on Los Blancos and whether Ancelotti's men can successfully defend their crown following the addition of Kylian Mbappe, who moved to the Bernabeu for free over the summer.
The Spanish champions have found some form following their rough start to the season, winning their last two matches in a row by a 2-0 scoreline. Stuttgart also triumphed over the weekend, beating Borussia M'gladbach to secure their first win of the Bundesliga campaign. Can the German outfit pull off a memorable triumph over the UEFA Champions League's most successful team in history? Tune in this Tuesday to find out.
Manchester City vs Inter Milan
Premier League giants Manchester City headline Wednesday's fixtures, with the club facing Serie A heavyweights Inter Milan. This game is a repeat of the 2023 final in which Pep Guardiola's men won 1-0, with Rodri scoring the only goal of the day. Both teams enter the competition as champions of their respective leagues, but given that 2023 result, Inter will be on the hunt for revenge.
The Cityzens were recently in action, facing Brentford on Saturday and securing a gruelling 2-1 victory. The Nerazzurri, on the flip side, visited Monza on Sunday and were held to a disappointing draw. Simone Inzaghi's side will need to be at their best if they wist to beat Guardiola's team.
In a new twist, UEFA Champions League matches are scheduled to take place on Thursday, with Arsenal's trip to Atalanta being one of six games taking place that day. The Gunners will want to kick things off with a win but will face the Europa League champions without several key players, namely captain Martin Odegaard and summer signing Mikel Merino, who are both injured.
Fortunately, Mikel Arteta's men enter this tie on the back of a confidence-boosting North London Derby victory, beating Tottenham 1-0 away from home despite missing their preferred midfield three. However, Arsenal will have on eye on next Sunday's trip to Manchester City in the Premier League. Meanwhile, the hosts secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Fiorentina over the weekend and will want to upset the Premier League heavyweights on Matchday 1.
Barcelona also get their campaign underway on Thursday, with the Catalan heavyweights visiting Monaco in what promises to be an exciting fixture. The Blaugrana have started the season in blistering form but will have to make amends for their recent disappointments in Europe under previous head coach Xavi Hernandez.
The Spanish giants reached the quarterfinal stage last season following back-to-back group stage exits in the two seasons prior to that. However, Flick's side have been unstoppable this season, winning all five La Liga games, scoring a whopping 17 goals, and conceding only four.
What is the new UEFA Champions League format?
UEFA has bid farewell to the previous format in which the 32 participants were placed into groups of four, with the top two from each group progressing to the last 16 and the third-placed team dropping down to the UEFA Europa League.
Instead, the competition has introduced a League Phase, with all the participants being placed in one table. Each team will play eight different clubs (four at home, four away).
The top eight teams with the most points after all eight matchdays are completed will move on to the round of 16. The 16 teams placed nine through 24 enter the two-legged knockout round playoffs, with the eight winners joining the top eight from the League Phase in the round of 16. Teams placed 25th or below will get eliminated from the competition and will not drop down to the UEFA Europa League.
Full list of games on September 17-19, 2024
[SCHEDULES competition 50 2024-09-16 2024-09-21]