The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League will be an adventure for us all.
After years of toying with ideas to revitalise the competition, UEFA opted for a new format in which the 36 participating clubs will compete in a new league stage (previously known as the group stage).
Each club will play eight different opponents, half of the games at home and half away.
From there, the teams ranked first through eighth in the league will automatically progress to the round of 16, where they will await the winner of a best-of-two knockout playoff between the clubs ranked ninth through 24th.
All of this starts on September 17th.
2024-25 Champions League Predictions
It may be a new format, but Manchester City remains the favorite to win the Champions League with odds of +280 from FanDuel.
Defending champions Real Madrid (+350) come in at the top of the list, ahead of the Cityzens, who will win the 2023 competition.
The remaining top five are Arsenal (+700), Barcelona (+1000) and Bayern Munich (+1000). History suggests that one of the favourites will likely win the Champions League, but this is a new era and upsets are bound to happen.
And let's not forget that before the tournament began, the last two runners-up (Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan) were both unlikely to win.
With that in mind, here are some hidden facts worth a quick refresher before you head off.
Atletico Madrid to win the Champions League (+3000, Caesars)
Known for their excellence in European competition, Atlético Madrid head into the new season with high expectations following strong transfer window reinforcements.
Julian Alvarez, Conor Gallagher, Alexander Sorloth and Robin Le Normand should add strength to an already talented line-up and manager Diego Simeone is a master at getting the best out of his players.
Another important thing to note about Atletico is that their league draws are relatively manageable, with their toughest fixture yet being the away game against PSG.
The home games against Leipzig and Leverkusen will pose tough tests, but Los Colchoneros don't have much else to fear.
Aston Villa to win the Champions League (100/1, BetMGM)
Aston Villa are clearly the fourth best English team in the competition, but there is a lot to like about their dominance in the tournament.
Firstly, Unai Emery is a fantastic tournament manager, orchestrating one of the most memorable run-ins in recent years when he led Villarreal to the semi-finals in 2022.
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This will be Emery's 17th consecutive year in charge of European competition and Villa have plenty of experience playing in Europe, having led them to the semi-finals of the 2023-24 UEFA Conference League last spring.
Villa certainly have some tough games on the horizon but, apart from their two toughest opponents at home (Bayern Munich and Juventus) and a trip to Leipzig, everything else looks manageable for an incredibly talented squad playing for a three-time Europa League-winning manager.
