Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Celtic will play in a new Champions League format this season. Here’s everything you need to know…

How does the new ‘competition phase’ format work?

The 36 teams form a single competition, with each participant playing eight different clubs, four at home and four away. Three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw.

The top eight teams in the competition automatically qualify for the knockout stage, while the teams ranked ninth to 24th compete in a two-leg play-off match for a place in the last 16 of the competition.

The bottom 12 teams are eliminated and have no access to the Europa League.

How does the knockout play-off phase work?

Teams that finish between ninth and sixteenth place will be placed in the knockout stage of the play-offs, which means they will face a team ranked 17th through 24th.

The eight clubs that win the play-offs in the knockout phase will advance to the round of 16, where they will face one of the top eight players, who will then be seeded.

The teams’ placement in the knockout phase is partly determined by the league table. A draw determines the route the teams take to reach the final.

How many points do you need to qualify for the knockout rounds?

A new format brings new expectations to the Champions League this season, with clubs having to use maths to determine how many points they need to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.

The Opta supercomputer believes 16 points of a possible 24 – so five wins and a draw from eight gamesor other combinations – would almost certainly be sufficient to finish in the top eightwhich guarantees you a last 16 place in the new year.

The data also believes 15 points – So five wins from eight gamesor other combinations – could be enough to secure eighth place. In 73 percent of the 50,000 simulations of the competition phase by Opta, that total of points was sufficient.

Fourteen pointsso four wins and two draws or other combinations, probably won’t be enough for a top eight finish – so the race to five wins will likely be targeted by the largest parties.

Nasty finish in the top 24which at least guarantees you a play-off spot, Opta believes 10 points – So three wins and a drawor other combinations – will almost certainly guarantee you a place in that round.

This means that teams that win the opening round of Champions League matches need just seven points from the remaining seven matches to secure a place in the play-offs.

Nine points – so tthree wins from eight gamesor other combinations – could be enough to finish 24th, as that number of points was sufficient in 69 percent of the simulations.

But just eight points – so two wins and two draws, or other combinations – runs the risk of elimination, as that number of points is sufficient in only 16 percent of the simulations.

Teams will focus on at least three wins out of eight to give them the best possible chance of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Arsenal Matches

September 19: Atalanta vs ArsenalGewiss Stadium, kick-off 8 p.m

October 1: Arsenal vs Paris SGEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm

October 22: Arsenal vs Shakhtar DonetskEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm

November 6: Inter Milan vs ArsenalSan Siro, kick-off 8pm

November 26: Sporting Lisbon vs ArsenalJose Alvalade Stadium, kick-off 8:00 PM

December 11: Arsenal vs MonacoEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm

January 22: Arsenal vs Dinamo ZagrebEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm

January 29: Girona vs ArsenalEstadi Montilivi, kick-off 8pm

Aston Villa Matches

September 17: Young boys vs Aston VillaWankdorf Stadium, kick-off 5:45 p.m.

October 2: Aston Villa vs Bayern MunichVilla Park, starting at 8:00 PM

October 22: Aston Villa vs BolognaVilla Park, starting at 8:00 PM

November 6: Club Brugge vs Aston VillaJan Breydel Stadium, kick-off 5:45 PM

November 27: Aston Villa vs JuventusVilla Park, starting at 8:00 PM

December 10: RB Leipzig vs Aston VillaRed Bull Arena, kick-off 8:00 PM

January 21: AS Monaco vs Aston VillaLouis II Stadium, kick-off 5:45 PM

January 29: Aston Villa vs CelticVilla Park, starting at 8:00 PM

Liverpool Matches

September 17: AC Milan vs LiverpoolSan Siro, kick-off 8pm

October 2: Liverpool vs BolognaAnfield, kick-off 8pm

October 23: RB Leipzig vs Liverpool, Red Bull Arena, kick-off 8:00 PM

November 5: Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen, Anfield, kick-off 8pm

November 27: Liverpool vs Real Madrid, Anfield, kick-off 8pm

December 10: Girona vs Liverpool, Estadi Montilivi, kick-off 5.45pm

January 21: Liverpool vs Lille, Anfield, kick-off 8pm

January 29: PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool, Philips Stadium, kick-off 8:00 PM

Man City Matches

September 18: Man City vs InternazionaleEtihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm

October 1: Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City, Narodny Futbalovy Stadium, kick-off 8 p.m

October 23: Man City vs Sparta PragueEtihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm

November 5: Sporting CP vs Man City, Jose Alvalade Stadium, kick-off 8:00 PM

November 26: Man City vs Feyenoord, Etihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm

December 11: Juventus vs. Manchester City, Allianz Stadium, kick-off 8:00 PM

January 22: Paris Saint-Germain vs Man City, Parc des Princes, starting at 8pm

January 29: Man City vs Club Brugge, Etihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm

Celtic Matches

September 18: Celtic vs Slovan BratislavaCeltic Park, kick-off 8pm

October 1: Borussia Dortmund vs CelticSignal Iunda Park, kick-off 8:00 PM

October 23: Atalanta vs CelticGewiss Stadium, kick-off 5.45 pm

November 5: Celtic vs RB LeipzigCeltic Park, kick-off 8pm

November 27: Celtic vs. Club BruggeCeltic Park, kick-off 8pm

December 10: Dinamo Zagreb vs CelticMaksimir Stadium, kick-off 5:45 PM

January 22: Celtic vs. Young BoysCeltic Park, kick-off 8pm

January 29: Aston Villa vs CelticVilla Park, starting at 8:00 PM

When are the 2024/2025 Champions League competition matches?

• Matchday 1: September 17-19, 2024
• Matchday 2: October 1/2, 2024
• Matchday 3: October 22/23, 2024
• Matchday 4: 5/6 November 2024
• Matchday 5: 26/27 November 2024
• Matchday 6: 10/11 December 2024
• Matchday 7: 21/22 January 2025
• Matchday 8: January 29, 2025

When are the 2024/2025 Champions League knockout stages?

• Playoffs knockout round: February 11/12 and February 18/19, 2025
• Round of 16: March 4/5 and March 11/12, 2025
• Quarterfinals: April 8/9 and April 15/16, 2025
• Semi-finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2025

Where will the Champions League final be held in 2025?

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season will take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich on 31 May 2025.