Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League 24/25

[Stranded]

And so it begins...

Whilst most of Europe will be focusing on the first Euro '24 semi final, the 2024/25 Champions League kicks off today. Full draw below, matches in bold today

ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK) vs FC Struga (MKD)
The New Saints FC (WAL) vs FK Dečić (MNE)
FK Borac Banja Luka (BIH) vs KF Egnatia (ALB)
Hamrun Spartans FC (MLT) vs Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB)
UE Santa Coloma (AND) vs FC Ballkani (KOS)

FC Flora Tallinn (EST) vs NK Celje (SVN)
KÍ Klaksvík (FRO) vs FC Differdange 03 (LUX)
FK Panevėžys (LTU) vs HJK Helsinki (FIN)
FC RFS (LVA) vs Larne FC (NIR)*
Vikingur Reykjavík (ISL) vs Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL)

Virtus A.C. 1964 (SMR) vs Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU)
PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL) vs FC Dinamo Batumi (GEO)
FC Ordabasy (KAZ) vs FC Petrocub (MDA)
FC Dinamo Minsk (BLR) vs FC Pyunik (ARM)

Europa League starts on Thursday

PFC Botev Plovdiv (BUL) vs NK Maribor (SVN)
IF Elfsborg (SWE) vs Pafos FC (CYP)
Paksi FC (HUN) vs FC Corvinul Hunedoara (ROU)
FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA) vs PFC Zire (AZE)
KF Llapi 1932 (KOS) vs Wisła Kraków (POL)
MFK Ružomberok (SVK) vs FC Tobol (KAZ)

Conference League starts tomorrow

FK Velež Mostar (BIH) vs Inter Club d'Escaldes (AND)
Floriana FC (MLT) vs SP Tre Penne (SMR)
FC Torpedo (BLR) vs FC Milsami Orhei (MDA)
FA Šiauliai (LTU) vs FCI Levadia Tallinn (EST)
Bala Town FC (WAL) vs Paide Linnameeskond (EST)

FC Isloch Minsk Region (BLR) vs La Fiorita 1967 (SMR)
Caernarfon Town FC (WAL) vs Crusaders FC (NIR)
JK Tallinna Kalev (EST) vs FC Urartu (ARM)
Valur (ISL) vs KF Vllaznia (ALB)
FCB Magpies (GIB) vs Derry City FC (IRL)

FC Malisheva (KOS) vs FK Budućnost Podgorica (MNE)
Atlètic Club Escaldes (AND) vs F91 Diddeleng (LUX)
Marsaxlokk FC (MLT) vs FK Partizani (ALB)
FK Auda (LVA) vs B36 Tórshavn (FRO)
Stjarnan (ISL) vs Linfield FC (NIR)

FC Torpedo Kutaisi (GEO) vs KF Tirana (ALB)
Shelbourne FC (IRL) vs St Joseph's FC (GIB)
FC Aktobe (KAZ) vs FK Sarajevo (BIH)
NK Bravo (SVN) vs Connah's Quay Nomads FC (WAL)
Víkingur (FRO) vs FK Liepaja (LVA)

FC Noah (ARM) vs KF Shkëndija (MKD)
GFK Tikves (MKD) vs Breiðablik (ISL)
FK Mornar (MNE) vs FC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)
FC UNA Strassen (LUX) vs KuPS Kuopio (FIN)
VPS Vaasa (FIN) vs FK Žalgiris (LTU)

[Winston Biscuit]

Derry City beaten 2-0 by Bruno's Magpies, a club started by some mates in a Gibralta pub 10 years ago

[Winston Biscuit]

Fenerbahce (managed by Mourinho) knocked out of the Champions League in the 3rd round qualifiers

[Winston Biscuit]

Rangers also knocked out of the Champions League

[Harrison Delbridge]

Rangers also knocked out of the Champions League

Spfl showing their class again

[Winston Biscuit]

Europa League third qualifying round Ajax beat Panathanaikos on penalties. 34 penalties were taken and took 28 minutes to complete

[Clyde1998]

Europa League third qualifying round Ajax beat Panathanaikos on penalties. 34 penalties were taken and took 28 minutes to complete

That's got to be close to some sort of record

[Clyde1998]

Kilmarnock reached the Conference League play-off after beating Norwegian side Tromso 1-0 away from home; they'll face Copenhagen for a place in the group stage.

St Mirren conceded two late goals to be eliminated by Brann in Norway.

[Sutekh]

Europa League third qualifying round Ajax beat Panathanaikos on penalties. 34 penalties were taken and took 28 minutes to complete

That's got to be close to some sort of record

Record penalty shootout occured in Namibia in 2005. 48 penalties taken in total, KK Palace finally beat The Civics 17-16 after a 2-2 draw. The shootout apparently lasted almost as long the the game!

[Sutekh]

When are the epic draws for the utter farces of these new Money Leagues? With so many idiot pots and restrictions on who can actually play who you just know it's not going to be straight forward and there's bound to be a lot of criticism over which teams are playing which teams. And then there'll be the old mosns of too many game.

Next, looking forward to FIFA trying to trump the likely mess with their own stupid club world cup ideas.

[From Despair To Where?]

I quite like the new format. Admittedly it makes it nigh on impossible for big clubs not to progress but the knockout stages are expanded and smaller clubs do have a greater chance of progressing. There's 4 seeding groups and each team plays 2 from each seeding group, one at home, one away, 8 games. 24 out of 36 teams progress to the knockout stages, Top 8 to the last 16, 9-24 have a 2 legged playoff.

In any given year, I'd say 85% of the teams would fancy their chances of progressing to the knock out stages and pretty much every match will have something riding on it.

[Sutekh]

I quite like the new format. Admittedly it makes it nigh on impossible for big clubs not to progress but the knockout stages are expanded and smaller clubs do have a greater chance of progressing. There's 4 seeding groups and each team plays 2 from each seeding group, one at home, one away, 8 games. 24 out of 36 teams progress to the knockout stages, Top 8 to the last 16, 9-24 have a 2 legged playoff.

In any given year, I'd say 85% of the teams would fancy their chances of progressing to the knock out stages and pretty much every match will have something riding on it.

Unnecessary bloat just for extra ££££, more pressure on domestic leagues to do away with cup competitions and big sides to play even weaker teams to demean whatever domestic cups are left. Players and managers moaning about too many games and needing a rest yet somehow more than happy to play extra European games for extra bunce.

Now we get a guaranteed 8 games for everyone and an extra 2 for all the cr@p sides in the league of 36 as they go though play offs to determine who can continue with the big boys. Just waiting now for the decision that actually turns it into the despised ESL idea.

It was all so much easier when it was just a straight knockout competition from beginning to end with pretty much every game therefore being something meaningful.

[Stranded]

If you include the opening qualifying rounds, this season will be the first time European games will have taken place in each month of the season from July through to May.

If the final were 1 day later than the scheduled 31st May, there would have been at least 1 CL game per month for the whole calendar year.

[Sutekh]

If you include the opening qualifying rounds, this season will be the first time European games will have taken place in each month of the season from July through to May.

If the final were 1 day later than the scheduled 31st May, there would have been at least 1 CL game per month for the whole calendar year.

Top players are now likely to not get a proper break from playing until the summer of 2027. After this bloated season they will probably be part of the top sides that are invited to play in FIFA's attempt at a club competition money grab next summer then it's back to the domestic league followed by the World Cup finals with 48 finalists and god knows how many weeks to get through all those games which will probably leave about a day and a half before the next domestic season come round again.

The people who run the game and those that run the top clubs all need to have their stupid heads banged together as ever if there's something that will kill the game it's stupidity like that. Less is more, it was much more fun to have occasional games on the telly that you'd actually look forward to, and more meaningful games of knockout football rather than endless round robins to maximise the pay out from the idiot TV companies that basically cause all this in the first place by throwing endless amounts of money at it all.

[Sanguine]

This is going to take a bit of getting used to.

[Sanguine]

Something I do like about the new format is that the Europa League is now a standalone competition. Teams finishing 25th and below in the Champions League group stage are totally eliminated from European competition. No parachuting into the 'lesser' competition. This change also means no-one can defend their Europa League title, as Europa League winners (Atalanta this time) automatically qualify for the Champions League group stage.

Brest and Girona not only making their CL debuts, but their very first appearances in European competition.

Also - I don't know how often this happens, Slovan Bratislava have qualified for the league stage through three qualifying rounds and the play-offs. They entered at First Qualifying Round back at the start of July.

[Sutekh]

This is going to take a bit of getting used to.

Sporting can't be too happy with that start

[Hendo]

Think I'm going to give the Champions League a miss this season, new format seems way too convoluted.

[Sanguine]

Just reading the draw is making my brain hurt.

Liverpool getting Real Madrid, Leverkusen, Milan, PSV and Girona is hilariously tough.

Real got an easy draw, as if they needed help. With the exception of Atalanta, all of their opponents are in the bottom half of each pot by coefficient.

[Sutekh]

Boring and convoluted rubbish, wait for the knockout bits.