Opening match week 2024/25 UEFA Champions League

The Champions League started this week with the opening group games played between the 17th and 19th of September 2024. The new format of the competition sees 36 teams placed in a single group stage with all 36 teams playing 8 times against teams drawn from different pots in the new group format. Next the top eight teams in the league will progress automatically to the Round of 16 whilst the teams who finished between 9th and 24th will compete in a two-legged play-offs to decide which other 8 teams progress to the final 16 of the competition. Teams who finish between 25th and 36th in the group will be eliminated from the tournament. The opening set of games on Tuesday saw Juventus defeat PSV Eindhoven 3–1, Aston Villa making their first appearance since 1983 defeated Young Boys 3–0, Champions League holders Real Madrid defeated Stuttgart 3–0, Bayern Munich thrash Dinamo Zagreb 9–2, Sporting Lisbon defeat Lille 2–0, Liverpool defeat AC Milan at the San Siro 3–1. Wednesday's results included Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk draw 0–0, Sparta Prague defeat Red Bull Salzburg 3–0, Paris Saint-Germain defeat Girona 1–0, Borussia Dortmund defeat Club Brugge away in Belgium 3–0, Celtic defeat Slovan Bratislava 5–1, and Manchester City draw 0–0 with Inter Milan. Thursday's results saw Benfica defeat Red Star Belgrade away in Serbia 2–1, reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen defeated Feyenoord away in Rotterdam 4–0, French Ligue 1 Stade Brest defeated Austrian side Strum Graz 2–1, Atletico Madrid defeated RB Leipzig 2–1, AS Monaco drew 0–0 with Spanish giants Barcelona and lastly Serie A side Atalanta drew 0–0 with English giants Arsenal. The first set of results see Bayern Munich top of the new group stage format following their heavy victory against Dinamo Zagreb on goal difference ahead of Scottish side Celtic and Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen. The bottom three teams of the new group format are Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava and Feyenoord.