Okay the draw has revealed who Arsenal are set to play over multiple games this season.
I’m actually excited about the new Champions League format for the 2024/25 season. Our return to Europe’s elite competition is made even more interesting by these changes.
The expansion to 36 teams means more high-quality football for us to enjoy, and the new league phase promises to be more competitive and engaging than ever before. Instead of the old group stage system, we’ll now face eight different opponents in a single league table format.
.For us Gunners, being in Pot 2 doesn’t carry the same significance as it used to. We’ll be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, regardless of our seeding.
This means we’re guaranteed to face some of Europe’s top clubs, which is both daunting and exhilarating.
We’ll play four matches at the Emirates and four away, giving us plenty of opportunities to showcase our talent on the European stage.
One of the most exciting aspects is that every match will count towards our final position in the league table. There’s no room for complacency, and we’ll need to be at our best in all eight games to secure a favorable position for the knockout stages.
The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the round of 16, while positions 9-24 will enter a play-off round. This gives us multiple routes to progress and adds extra drama to the competition.
As Arsenal fans, we can look forward to more European nights, potentially facing a wider variety of opponents, and a format that rewards consistency throughout the league phase. It’s a new era for the Champions League, and I’m thrilled that Arsenal will be part of it.
So withour further ado, here are the teams we have drawn for the first round….
The team at home is listed first below, the fixtures will not necessarily be in this order, with the calendar to be determined on Saturday.
- Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain
- Inter Milan vs Arsenal
- Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk
- Atalanta vs Arsenal
- Arsenal vs GNK Dinamo
- Sporting CP vs Arsenal
- Arsenal vs AS Monaco
- Girona vs Arsenal
To be honest, none of there can really be described as an “easy game” and it will be interesting to see if Arteta plays his first team in the Champions League or if he prioritises the Premier League. There are not many games that he can play lots of youngsters, are there?
Well, I think that we can qualify from this zone if Mikel Arteta will do all that he can to get us a top-class striker as is a very stubborn coach
There’s only one zone, with everybody in it.
Top 8 gets a break in Feb, otherwise it’s not stop, September to May.
How many points can you drop and still make top 8?
It could have been a lot harder, I am confident we can win our group.
There’s only one group, with everybody in it.
Sorry for referring to them as groups; what I meant was 1st phase opponents. I hope that’s correct!
Very few easy games, but having some or the harder ones (PSG, Monaco, Donetsk) at home is a big bonus. We should be able to beat inter away. I think we will navigate the games just fine and don’t need to win them all.
No surprise that there’s some potentially tough games. It will be interesting, as the article mentions, to see how Arteta prioritises between EPL and CL.
If they achieve all their transfer objectives, buying-wise, in this window (including a striker or winger) then they will have a strong squad. The question is whether it’s up to campaigns on two fronts, taking into account inevitable injuries, possible suspensions etc.. Only time will tell.
End of the real champions league and welcome to the money making league ,this is based on the super league that never got off the ground .
UEFA still holding onto the purse strings .
Mind you Champions league doesn’t really hold up in name when you have 4-5 teams coming from one league .
Or when so many are not the champions
There is little doubt that the new format is related to the potential for further revenue, especially for the bigger clubs. However, it is easy to sit on the sidelines and make scything and cynical remarks.
It should be noted that the champions league has never truly been a league, certainly not in the way the domestic leagues have been contested. Also, teams that have not won their domestic league have been taking part for more than 20 years. It is difficult to argue that the quality has suffered as a result. If anything some people would argue that it is currently the highest level of football in the world.
It would therefore be much more useful for people to come up with interesting discussion points rather than snide remarks.
For example:
Are you able to come up with a convincing argument as to why it should be purely a “champions” tournament?
Are you able to suggest an alternative format? or alternative name for the tournament?
Of course, selling ex amount of players and replacing them with – ex amount won’t help either.
Must say that there are some tasty looking games in there, but to keep calling it the Champions League is daft – what about a European Super League, courtesy of the back door?
You beat me to it DK!!
It’s purely money making. The expansion of champions league teams was dictated by clubs owners. I listened to skysport analysts who said that clubs owners put pressure on FIFA for more teams and more games for them to be able to make more money. FIFA agreed to this.
The new CL structure is likely to give more games that have a lot riding on them. Also, more games against quite strong opposition.
It should be quite fascinating.
You are absolutely right. And Pat is right, this format makes it more competitive with less “easy” games – the ones where you could rotate a bit, aware Spurs away is the previous Premier League match and Man City away the next one. So IMO we should concentrate on the Premier League matches instead, just ignore the CL this season. Right from the start.
Trying to get good CL results could impact getting vital PL points – concentrate on the PL games either side of the CL game. Play the bench. Blood the kids on foreign euro travel and playing away experience.
This isn’t a tweaked competition, this is a whole new beast. Man City will wrestle with it of course, with their amount of Premier League wins already they don’t have a choice, yet even Man City will find this seasons relentless and more difficult CL hurting their domestic form like never before – it adds extra pressure to any squad to play three big games in just 8 days, and also add in the travelling and some Thursday matches. Apart from City, do we think the other English entries can get away with squad rotation needed for each set of 3 challenging games in 8 days as well as Man City’s squad depth? Villa, Liverpool and Arsenal could miss out on top 4 Premier League finish targeting a run in this new CL format, as Spurs, Man Utd and Chelsea are in mix for top 4 too.
If Arsenal want a PL title, Liverpool want to finish top 4 in PL, and Villa want a top 10 PL finish this season, they all must wake up, smell how different this coffee is, and abandon a Champions League push right now.
Can we really afford to ignore the CL? I don’t see how we can. It is the greatest cup competition and there are games against high calibre opposition. These are games we should be excited about and expect do well in. Most would want us to go as far as possible in this tournament (win it?) as well as win the PL.
I think we need to strengthen the squad if we are to be competitive in both competitions.
Another issue is the impact on the other competitions. We are very likely to field significantly weaker teams in the domestic cup competitions with the current squad.
@Moon Girl: I disagree. We cannot just abandon the CL, we have worked very hard to get to that in the first place. Also, the finances involved are high considering the progress at every stage of the CL. Agreed, the schedule is very taxing and it could take a toll on the players but that is where Arteta must be smart and rotate his players wisely when we play 3 matches in 8 days. Arteta doesnt rotate much specially his key players but I think now his hand will be forced. All in all, it will make for an interesting season.
Welcome to the super league, better known as moneyball.
Am I the only one who is slowly losing interest in this bloated Champions League. It’s obvious this is a precursor to a Super League. Oh for the days of the proper European Cup where only the countries champions competed.
I’m sure we’ll get used to it. It doesn’t feel that there are easy fixtures so there could be some interesting results
As for Arteta managing the EPL and this new format, the same applies to all the other clubs as well. Will there be more injuries or difficulties in managing the extra fixtures? It just becomes more difficult to concentrate on more than 2 trophies
Arsenal Vs Dinamo and SDonkesk are easy
Get it over with guys
We’re done with our signings
Looks like not much money was released for this transfer window: I’m seeing an emphasis on selling to be able to buy – plus cut-down on expenses
Between, out of a total of 24 points
Man City already has an easy 12 points
With 4 teams they can beat anywhere in the Solar System the match is placed
And Liverpool seem to have the toughest pairing
As mentioned, some tasty looking fixtures but it’s a money making enterprise designed to squeeze every last drop out of a What’s champion about more is best? It would be fine if World Cup and European internationals were introduced but FIFA also wants it’s piece of the pie. So we are going to get a a lot of tired overworked players forced to play boring slow motion post season football similar to what we saw in both European and American nations tournaments. It’s a good time to be an inverted anything.
Made a mess of the typos. In a nutshell, a money spin off designed to squeeze every last drop out of the lemon. The clubs need the money and for some more is best but I don’t see anything “champion” in having so many teams, some of whom may have had a decent season the year before but have now sold their best players and are back amongst the pack.
OT – Ornstein is reporting that Bournemouth has agreed with us for a season long loan of GK Neto. No obligation or option to buy at end of loan. Medical today. Welcome to Deadline Day gooners!
Neto would be a good signing. Has lots of PL experience, would be an able understudy to raya and could start PL/CL matches whenever required if Raya needs rest. Sure to start the Cup games though.
While no games are easy, it does seem like a favorable draw for us. Avoided the big powerhouses of Europe. Only PSG to encounter in the league stage and that is a home game for us.
In contrast PSG are playing us, city, atleti and bayern
The games against Inter, Atlanta and Sporting CP, all away will be very tricky. Gerona will also be a tough opponent not to speak of PSG. Only the games against Monaco and Schakter could be considered easy, although nothing is easy in the CL. That said, with the quality of players we have, I suppose we should progress to the next round.
The problem with this format is that the biggest games in the group are almost meaningless as both sides are likely to go through. Even in a four team group that is not the case if there is a good third side.
Another problem is that a side can qualify with six or seven points then go through via the knock out stages
Not true.
If PSG lose to us and City and Athletico Madrid and Bayern they definitely won’t qualify, will need to win all the rest to make it to the second phase
Liverpool have Real Madrid at Anfield which they might not win
All their away look tough to win also
They’re down to 3 home games which now becomes a must win
And that might not be enough to see them through
I hate this system already lol
“Very few easy games”?
Looks easy on paper for something considering that it’s supposed to be a champions’ league.
Random format where some teams wil get a bad draw and go out and some get an easy draw. Round robin (all play all) in any group phase is the only way that works. This reminds me of Eccelstone’s double points for the last F1 race to try to keep people watching, all he did was kill off any pretence that it was a sport and not just a show.
i didn’t get the point of the new CL format, apart from extra game money grab
but now I do
the old CL group stages were so boring, top 2 out of 4 makes hard not to qualify, Carabao Cup level teams put out at times, Arsenal vs PSV dead of deadest rubbers said it all
the CL only really getting going in the quarter finals
but under the new format there are big big fixtures to enjoy before March, I like it