Champions League 2024-2025: Arsenal, Real… A plethora of clashes for French clubs, schedule and standings

Second day of the Ligue des champions for our 4 French clubs with gala posters.

Second day of the Champions League this Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd October with a more classic format without a match on Thursday. On the program, shocks, shocks and more shocks! The French clubs will have tricky matches to manage and in particular PSG who must travel to the pitch of the Arsenal Gunners, fragile at the start of the season, but who never give up like their new victory at the end of added time this weekend against Leicester. After a very sluggish first victory against Girona, Parisians will have to show another face.

For Lille, who were beaten quite logically in their first match against Sporting, the task looks complicated with Real Madrid. Even if the Spaniards will probably be deprived of Kylian Mbappé who will not be able to find his brother Ethan, the Madrilenians are largely favorites in this match, but galvanized by their public, Lille could still create a feat by taking at least one point.

For Brest, the fairy tale has started perfectly with a victory in its first Champions League match against Sturm Graz. This Tuesday, the Bretons will have to face RB Salzburg before a tense match against Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen on the next matchday. There is clearly room for a 6/6 for Eric Roy's men.

Finally, AS Monaco faces Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday. After a magnificent feat on their home turf against FC Barcelona, ​​the Monegasques have a good schedule in the rest of this Champions League by taking on Zagreb, Belgrade and Bologna. Enough to stock up on points before Benfica, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Inter…

Our news and live matches

What are the new rules of the Champions League ?

The Champions League therefore loses its group stage in 2024-2025. It is transformed into a “regular season”, with a single ranking. For the first stage of this new generation Champions League, each team must play 8 matches (compared to 6 previously), each time with a different opponent. So also gone is the system of two-way matches, characteristic of previous versions. The matches were decided by a draw carried out at the end of August and based on a system of hats, allowing to preserve a certain fairness in the unfolding.

The Champions League then returns to a semblance of normality at the end of this mini championship. Only a semblance since the teams that finished in the first 8th places qualify directly for the round of 16, with the teams ranked between 9th and 24th places, who will have to go through play-offs in a two-legged format. Previously, the Champions League finals started directly with the quarter-finals.

Another notable difference: the lowest-ranked teams (between 25th and 36th place) are eliminated from the competition and none of them are drawn into the Europa League. The draw for the finals also changes and takes place with a system of series heads. Thus, the leader in the ranking cannot be in the same part of the table as his runner-up. The third will be in the opposite part of the table to the fourth, etc.

What matches for French clubs ?

Four Ligue 1 clubs have been offered the opportunity to explore the star track this season, with some opponents in common thanks to this new format, but undoubtedly very different destinies. PSG, who have set themselves the top 8 as their objective, have obtained one of the most difficult draws. After a debut against a team new to this level, Girona, they have inherited big machines like Arsenal, Antoine Griezmann's Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, but also the ogre Bayern Munich.

Lille also had a complicated draw, with Real Madrid and its neighbors Atlético (bis), Juventus Turin and Liverpool. Brest, surprising 3rd in Ligue 1 last season, inherited a first match deemed “affordable”, with the reception of Sturm Graz. But the rest of the program consisted of Real Madrid (bis) and FC Barcelona. Monaco finally drew Barça and also Bologna, Benfica and Inter Milan. Here is the draw and all the matches of the French clubs:

PSG

• 2nd day. Arsenal – PSG: Tuesday 1st October (9pm)
• 3rd day. PSG – PSV : Tuesday October 22nd (9 p.m.)
• 4th day born. PSG – Atlético de Madrid : Wednesday November 6 (9 p.m.)
• 5th dayée.

~ Bayern Munich – PSG : Tuesday November 26 (9 p.m.)

• 6th day&eacute ;e. Salzburg – PSG: Tuesday December 10 (9 p.m.)
• 7th day.PSG – Manchester City: Wednesday January 22 (9 p.m.)
• 8th day. Stuttgart – PSG& ;nbsp;: Wednesday January 29 (9 p.m.)