Just two rounds of the new-look league phase in the newly revamped Champions League 2024/2025 schedule remain, but there is still plenty to play for with surprise names at both ends of the table.
Champions League 2024/2025: Big Talking Points, December 2024
There were plenty of goals and talking points from the sixth round of fixtures, and the battle is still on for a big number of teams as they look to qualify for the knockout stage. Whilst some of Europe’s heavy-hitters have started strong, the new format seems to have caught out some of the competition’s greatest ever clubs. Read on for our December 2024 update.
Champions League 2024/2025: French Fancies
Liverpool are the only unbeaten team in this season’s Champions League, with Arne Slot’s Reds collecting a perfect six wins from six to sit top of the standings. It’s no surprise to see the likes of Barcelona, Arsenal and Inter Milan also inside the top eight, but Brest and Lille are two sides not many would have predicted to be sitting in the upper echelons.
Both Ligue 1 teams have claimed 13 points from their six matches and one more win might be enough for them to secure automatic progress to the last 16. Lille travel to Liverpool on matchday seven before ending their campaign at home to Feyenoord while Brest still have to face Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid. Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa complete the top eight and the German champions are 6.70 to reach this season’s Champions League final after reaching the Europa League showpiece last term.
Champions League 2024/2025: Potential Play-Offs
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus are among the big names with work to do in pursuit of a top-eight finish and a fast-track to the round of 16. Six-time winners Bayern – 6.60 in outright betting – have lost two of their opening six games but will hope that victories over Feyenoord and Slovan Bratislava, who haven’t won a point to date, can propel them into the top-eight reckoning.
Atletico Madrid look to have the toughest test of the five big names listed. The 2016 finalists, who have won their last three European games, face Bayer Leverkusen at home next before finishing with a trip to Red Bull Salzburg.
Champions League 2024/2025: Champions Crashing Out
The last two Champions League winners are facing the almost unthinkable prospect of being eliminated from this year’s tournament before the knockout rounds have even begun. Defending champions Real Madrid have just nine points from six games while 2023 winners Manchester City have eight. Real helped their cause with a much-needed win at Atalanta this week but City’s struggles continued with a 2-0 loss at Juventus.
Wins over Salzburg and Brest would secure at least a play-off spot for Real and could potentially even catapult them into the top six should other results go their way. However, it looks trickier for Pep Guardiola’s men, who face a massive trip to Paris to face a PSG side also struggling to make the cut. City, 3.50 to reach this season’s final, end the league format with a home match against Club Brugge on January 29th.
By Adam Scriven
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