Champions League 2024-2025: Matchday schedule, results and standings

Third day of the Champions League this week for the 4 French clubs involved.

After tripping on the lawn of the last day Arsenal, PSG must climb the slope in the Champions League on Tuesday October 22nd against an “accessible” opponent, PSV Eindhoven. Facing the Dutch, at the Parc, the Parisians have no right to make a mistake to get back on track and join the top 8 of this phase of the league.

For Monaco, after its great victory against Barcelona and its miraculous draw against Zagreb, it will be necessary to stock up on points this Tuesday against the very physically tough Red Star Belgrade team.

Lille, after its resounding exploit at home on the last day against Kylian Mbappé's Real Madrid, will have to continue to climb the rankings. The Dogues, held by Monaco this weekend in the championship, face Antoine Griezmann and Atlético Madrid in Spain.

Finally, for Brest, the fairy tale could continue. Second at the moment in this league phase, the Bretons are already almost on their way to the next phase, but they now have to finish the job and that starts with a home victory against the German champion, Bayer Leverkusen.

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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 travel 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 22 (9 p.m.)
• 4th day born. PSG – Atlético de Madrid : Wednesday November 6 (9 p.m.)
• 5th day.

~ 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.)