Designed to kill the rival “Super League” project in the bud, the new format Champions League begins this week with three evenings from Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 September, with the entry into the competition of the four French clubs and shocks galore. A new format full of suspense.
Now united in a single league of 36, the clubs of the European elite will battle to grab one of the first eight places directly qualifying, or failing that a ticket for the play-offs by placing themselves from 9th to 24th place.
The table of the knockout rounds, starting from the 8th finals, comes from the final positions of this “league phase”, so suspense is guaranteed at all levels, until the last day.
But each club has its own personalized program of eight matches against eight different opponents: two in each pot, one away, one at home. A sporting logic that does not have unanimous support among observers, as will probably not be the reorchestration of the popular anthem of the competition.
Tantalizing oppositions
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin humorously took a swipe at Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a presentation clip in August when the big Swede was about to say the name “Super League”. Because the barely veiled aim of this new format for the premier club competition is to pull the rug out from under the promoters of a competition limited to the biggest European clubs.
Just for this first day, exceptionally scheduled over three evenings to popularize the new formula, the posters are mouth-watering (9 p.m. for all four):
– AC Milan – Liverpool (Tuesday 17)
– Manchester City – Inter Milan (Wednesday 18)
– Atlético Madrid – Leipzig and Monaco – FC Barcelona (Thursday 19)
But the gourmet will also be able to choose to follow Kylian Mbappé's Real Madrid against Stuttgart (this Tuesday, 9 p.m.), Juventus of former Parisian Thiago Motta, now coach, against PSV Eindhoven (this Tuesday, 6:45 p.m.) or even the impressive Bayer Leverkusen of Xabi Alonso away to Feyenoord Rotterdam (Thursday, 6:45 p.m.).Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid challenge Stuttgart. Photo by JAIME REINA / AFP
French clubs in the deep end
Four Ligue 1 clubs will travel the star track with no doubt very different destinies (all matches are broadcast on Canal+ channels). PSG are aiming for the top 8 but have inherited one of the most difficult draws. On Wednesday, at the Parc des Princes (9 p.m.), they will be able to gauge their position against a team new to this level, Girona, who took on water against Barcelona (4-1) on Sunday.
The Catalan giant will challenge Monaco on Thursday (9pm) at Louis-II, a tough first match for the team coached by Adi Hütter. Brest, a surprising 3rd in Ligue 1 last season, begins with perhaps the most affordable of all their matches, the reception of Sturm Graz, on Thursday (9pm).
Lille, who qualified in extremis after having passed two rounds of promotion to the C1, immediately have a difficult trip to Lisbon (tonight, 9 p.m.) against Sporting Portugal, who have just won five of their first five league matches.
One league, more matches, more big games… We explain the new format of the Champions League
The program
This Tuesday evening:
Juventus – PSV Eindhoven (6:45 p.m.)
Young Boys – Aston Villa (6:45 p.m.)
Bayern Munich – Dinamo Zagreb (9 p.m.)
Milan – Liverpool (9 p.m.)
Real Madrid – Stuttgart (9 p.m.)
Sporting Lisbon – Lille (9 p.m.)
Wednesday, at 9 p.m.:
Bologna – Shakhtar
Celtic Glasgow – Bratislava
FC Bruges – Dortmund
Manchester City – Inter Milan
PSG – Girona
Sparta Prague – Salzburg
Thursday, at 9 p.m.:
Red Star – Benfica (6:45 p.m.)
Feyenoord – Leverkusen (6:45 p.m.)
Atalanta – Arsenal (9 p.m.)
Atl. Madrid – Leipzig (9 p.m.)
Brest – Sturm Graz (9 p.m.)
Monaco – Barcelona (9 p.m.)
