An exciting era of European club football is on the horizon as 36 teams prepare to take part in the newly-expanded 2024-25 Champions League.
With group-stage fixtures now a thing of the past, UEFA's new format will see a 36-team League Phase, with eight games scheduled for each team, and a subsequent playoff round take place before the usual knockout action unfolds.
Holders Real Madrid will endeavour to retain their European crown and win a record-extending 15th title, while clubs including English trio Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal will be bidding to end the campaign as kings of the continent.
Aston Villa are one of five Champions League debutants, while the likes of last year's runners-up Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan will all be hoping to go deep into this season's competition.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at how many points should be enough to see teams progress through the League Phase of the Champions League this season.
Champions League
Champions League
General view of the Champions League trophy before the match on April 19, 2023
How many points are required to reach Champions League knockouts?
The league phase of the 2024-25 Champions League will run from September to January, meaning that there is a slight extension on the December end date of the previous group-stage format.
As previously mentioned, all 36 clubs will play eight times in the League Phase and the top eight teams will automatically advance to the last 16, while sides finishing between ninth and 24th must compete in a two-legged playoff round to join them. Any team that finishes 25th or lower will be eliminated with no access to the Europa League.
According to studies from Football Meets Data, who have carried out over 10,000 simulations, between 15 and 16 points will most likely be enough to see teams secure a top-eight finish and progress to the knockout rounds of the Champions League in its new format.
This would therefore mean that teams would be required to win at least five of their eight matches in the League Phase, or another combination of victories and draws to reach the 15 to 16-point marker.
English trio Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal can view this as a positive, as it eases the pressure on each club winning their so-called bigger matches against Europe's elite.
For Man City, their toughest fixtures, on paper, are Inter Milan (H) - a repeat of the 2023 Champions League final - Paris Saint-Germain (A) and Juventus (A), while they also have somewhat favourable-looking contests against Slovan Bratislava (A), Sparta Prague (H), Sporting Lisbon (A), Feyenoord (H) and Club Brugge (H)
Champions League 2024-25: How many points will Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool need to qualify for knockout stage?
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By Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter
Published: September 17 2024 | 05:00
Last updated: September 17 2024 | 14:19
An exciting era of European club football is on the horizon as 36 teams prepare to take part in the newly-expanded 2024-25 Champions League.
With group-stage fixtures now a thing of the past, UEFA's new format will see a 36-team League Phase, with eight games scheduled for each team, and a subsequent playoff round take place before the usual knockout action unfolds.
Holders Real Madrid will endeavour to retain their European crown and win a record-extending 15th title, while clubs including English trio Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal will be bidding to end the campaign as kings of the continent.
Aston Villa are one of five Champions League debutants, while the likes of last year's runners-up Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan will all be hoping to go deep into this season's competition.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at how many points should be enough to see teams progress through the League Phase of the Champions League this season.
Champions League
Champions League
General view of the Champions League trophy before the match on April 19, 2023
© Reuters
How many points are required to reach Champions League knockouts?
The league phase of the 2024-25 Champions League will run from September to January, meaning that there is a slight extension on the December end date of the previous group-stage format.
As previously mentioned, all 36 clubs will play eight times in the League Phase and the top eight teams will automatically advance to the last 16, while sides finishing between ninth and 24th must compete in a two-legged playoff round to join them. Any team that finishes 25th or lower will be eliminated with no access to the Europa League.
According to studies from Football Meets Data, who have carried out over 10,000 simulations, between 15 and 16 points will most likely be enough to see teams secure a top-eight finish and progress to the knockout rounds of the Champions League in its new format.
This would therefore mean that teams would be required to win at least five of their eight matches in the League Phase, or another combination of victories and draws to reach the 15 to 16-point marker.
English trio Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal can view this as a positive, as it eases the pressure on each club winning their so-called bigger matches against Europe's elite.
For Man City, their toughest fixtures, on paper, are Inter Milan (H) - a repeat of the 2023 Champions League final - Paris Saint-Germain (A) and Juventus (A), while they also have somewhat favourable-looking contests against Slovan Bratislava (A), Sparta Prague (H), Sporting Lisbon (A), Feyenoord (H) and Club Brugge (H)