FREE-TV]] Real Madrid vs VfB Stuttgart 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 Ｂｒｏａｄｃａｓｔ Ｆｒｅｅ ＯＮ Ｔｖ Ｃｈａｎｎｅｌ 17 September ２０２４

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Heading into its 70th season, UEFA Champions League kicks off with the 2024-25 season of play on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Starting with 81 clubs throughout Europe, the season ends with only one team hoisting the European Champion Clubs’ Cup at the very end.

This is the first year with the new league phase format instead of a Group Stage at the UEFA Champions League, along with the other UEFA tournaments. Starting with the 2024-25 competition, the tournament increases to 36 teams instead of 32, with each team playing eight matches against two teams from each the four seeding groups. It will also feature a playoff phase that includes 16 teams fighting for the final eight spots in the knockout phase, which starts in the Round of 16. The top eight in the table are automatically placed in the Round of 16 while ninth through 24th compete in the playoff, with the bottom 12 teams being eliminated.

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Champions League starts bigger new era with Mbappé at Madrid and rematches of past finals

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) — The new Champions League format kicks off Tuesday after more than six years of planning, one failed proposal and one Super League launch fiasco.

In the end, storied clubs who pushed for change from UEFA and created turmoil in European soccer got most of what they wanted: More teams, more games and more of them against strong opponents, more money.

Now there are 36 teams instead of 32, each playing eight games instead of six, against eight different opponents instead of three.

Opening night Tuesday hits a high note.

Kylian Mbappé starts his quest for a first title with his third club, the record 15-time European champion Real Madrid that hosts Stuttgart. Mbappé reached the semifinals in 2017 with Monaco and was a beaten finalist in 2020 with Paris Saint-Germain.

Ultimately, all 36 teams will be ranked from top to bottom in a single league standings that finishes in January instead of traditional four-team groups that would end in December.

UEFA has cleared its midweek schedule to relaunch the marquee club event over back-to-back-to-back nights – six games each through Thursday.

The new format

The league phase through January is quite simple. Each team plays a balanced schedule of eight games — four at home, four on the road — earning three points for a win and one for a draw.

Eight different opponents were allocated in the draw last month by a software program picking two teams from each of four seeding pots. Seeding was based on a team’s UEFA ranking over five years of results in European competitions.

Recent champions Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich were among the top seeds. Low-ranked pot four included debutants Girona and Brest, and long-time absentees Aston Villa, Bologna and Stuttgart.

Advancing to the knockout phase is more complex, and UEFA suggested teams will need eight points from eight games to stay involved.

The top eight in the standings on Jan. 29 go direct to the round of 16 in March seeded Nos. 1-8.

Teams placed ninth to 24th in the standings enter a knockout playoffs round in February. Teams 9-16 will be seeded in the draw and play second legs at home against teams who placed from 17-24. The bottom 12 teams in the standings are eliminated.

The eight playoff winners advance as unseeded teams in the round of 16, which will be drawn into a set bracket like a tennis tournament. That replaces the old system of separate draws for the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Tuesday starts with “Miracle” rematch

The new era starts with two 1645 GMT early kickoffs featuring three European Cup winners from the 1980s — Juventus (1985) hosts PSV Eindhoven (1988) and Aston Villa (1982) travels to Young Boys. Both are first-time fixtures between the teams.

Also playing are the four teams with the most European Cup and Champions League titles in their 70-season history.

While Madrid plays Stuttgart, six-time winner Bayern hosts Dinamo Zagreb looking to extend a 40-game, seven-year unbeaten run in group stages.

The standout pairing is AC Milan against Liverpool at San Siro. Milan won the last of its seven European titles in the 2007 final against Liverpool. That was a rematch of the 2005 “Miracle of Istanbul” final when Liverpool rallied from 3-0 down at half time to win the fifth of its six titles.

Man City-Inter meet again Wednesday

A more recent rematch of another Istanbul final features the current champions of England and Italy. Manchester City, riding Erling Haaland’s hot start to the season, hosts an Inter Milan it beat 1-0 in the 2023 final and is unbeaten in Champions League home games for six years.

It is also a night for fresh faces. Girona, which is in the same Abu Dhabi-backed ownership group as Man City, will make its European debut at Paris Saint-Germain.

Bologna hosts Shakhtar Donetsk in its first game in the competition since a preliminary round exit 60 years ago. Bologna still plays in the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara that has been its home since 1927 and staged games at the 1934 World Cup.

Leverkusen and Atalanta step up Thursday

The Europa League finalists last season now rise together to the bigger stage.

Bayer Leverkusen’s only loss in a remarkable first full season under coach Xabi Alonso was that Europa final against Atalanta. Now Leverkusen returns to the Champions League at Feyenoord, whose coach last season Arne Slot took the job at Liverpool that was first offered to Alonso.

Atalanta hosts Arsenal which has lost captain Martin Odegaard to an ankle injury suffered playing for Norway on Monday.

La Liga leader Barcelona with 17-year-old star Lamine Yamal goes to Monaco and the most unlikely fixture of all 18 this week is Brest vs. Sturm Graz.

Brest, founded 121 years ago, has never played a European game and Sturm last played in the Champions League 23 years ago. The game is being played at Guingamp, 110 kilometers (70 miles) east of Atlantic port city Brest, whose home stadium is not modern enough.

More prize money

UEFA has put at least 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion) into the prize money fund for the 36 clubs, a 25% raise on last season. The title winner in Munich on May 31 can expect to get more than 160 million euros ($177 million).

Each team gets a basic 18.6 million euros ($20.6 million), then 2.1 million euros ($2.3 million) for each league-phase game won and 700,000 euros ($780,000) per draw.

Each place in the standings is worth more money with shares of 275,000 euros ($305,000) per place: 36 shares, or 9.9 million euros ($11 million), goes to the team finishing top in January and a single share to the last-place team.

Bonuses escalate from 11 million euros ($12.3 million) per team for advancing to each knockout round.

Another prize fund of 853 million euros ($950 million) is allocated based on teams’ historical record in UEFA competitions and the value of national and global broadcast deals.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Where to watch Young Boys vs. Aston Villa live stream, TV channel, start time, lineups, prediction for Champions League match

Aston Villa will look to kick-start their UEFA Champions League campaign on a high note when they clash Swiss side BSC Young Boys at Wankdorf Stadium on Tuesday.

The Lions are set to make their long-awaited return to Europe’s top tier this week, marking their first appearance since their 1983 run to the European Cup quarter-finals, just a year after lifting the trophy with a famous 1-0 triumph over Bayern Munich in Rotterdam.

Back among Europe’s elite after securing a fourth-place finish in the Premier League last season, the West Midlands club kicks off their campaign with an away fixture in Switzerland against Young Boys.

Under Unai Emery, Villa has hit the ground running this season, picking up three wins from their first four matches. Their latest victory came dramatically, overturning a two-goal deficit to beat Everton on Saturday, leaving them fifth in the league, separated from the top four only by goal difference.

Young Boys, on the other hand, have had a mixed season, with their recent form in the Swiss Cup contrasting with their underwhelming league performance. A 4-2 win over Vevey in the cup showcased their attacking prowess, but their league struggles have raised questions about their ability to compete at the highest level.

The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.

Young Boys vs. Aston Villa live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch this Champions League match in the U.S.:

TV channel: —

Live stream: Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo, ViX

This game is not available for live TV broadcast. Streaming options are available on CBS Sports Golazo, ViX is Spanish and Paramount+, which is currently offering a 7-day FREE trial.

For a limited time, new subscribers can enjoy Paramount+ starting at $2.50 per month for 12 months! Billed annually. Stream the NFL on CBS, Champions League soccer and more. Redeem now!

WATCH:UEFA Champions League action in U.S. on Paramount+ (free-trial)

What time does Young Boys vs. Aston Villa kick off?

This Champions League clash takes place at the Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Switzerland and kicks off on Tuesday, September 17 at 6:45 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across the U.S.:

  Date Kickoff time

Eastern Time Tue, Sep. 17 12:45 p.m.

Central Time Tue, Sep. 17 11:45 a.m.

Mountain Time Tue, Sep. 17 10:45 a.m.

Pacific Time Tue, Sep. 17 9:45 a.m.

Young Boys vs. Aston Villa predicted lineups, team news

Aston Villa will be missing some key players such as Leon Bailey, Matty Cash, and Boubacar Kamara for their Champions League opener. Backup goalkeeper Robin Olsen is also on the sidelines.

Ollie Watkins should retain his spot in the starting lineup after his excellent performance against Everton, with Jhon Duran to come off the bench in the second half.

Aston Villa predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Martinez (GK) — Nedeljkovic, Konsa, Torres, Digne — Onana, Barkley — McGinn, Tielemans, Rogers — Watkins.

Injured: Bailey, Cash, Kamara, Olsen

Suspended: None

Young Boys come into this match with an injury crisis. Saidy Janko, Meschack Elia, Abdu Conte, Patric Pfeiffer, Lukasz Lakomy, and Sadin Crnovrsanin are all on the sidelines.

Silvere Ganvoula, who has scored three of the team's seven league goals so far, will spearhead the attack.

Young Boys predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Von Ballmoos (GK) — Blum, Camara, Zoukrou, Hadjam — Niasse, Lauper — Monteiro, Ugric, Colley — Ganvoula.

Injured: Janko, Elia, Conte, Pfeiffer, Lakomy, Crnovrsanin

Suspended: None

Young Boys vs. Aston Villa Prediction

Going into the group stage, Tuesday’s clash initially appeared to be a showdown of equals. However, with Young Boys struggling to find form in the Swiss Super League, they might not be up to the challenge against Aston Villa this midweek.

The Villans have their own issues, particularly in defense, where they’ve been less than convincing this season. That said, Young Boys should have enough chances to test Villa in the final third. Nevertheless, the visitors boast enough firepower to grind out a narrow win. The prediction? A hard-fought 2-1 victory for Unai Emery and his men.

Prediction: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa

Champions League fixture schedule this week

Wednesday, September 18

BSC Young Boys vs. Aston Villa FC

Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven

AC Milan vs. Liverpool FC

FC Bayern München vs. GNK Dinamo

Real Madrid C.F. vs. VfB Stuttgart

Sporting Clube de Portugal vs. LOSC Lille

Thursday, September 19

AC Sparta Praha vs. FC Salzburg

Bologna FC 1909 vs. FC Shakhtar Donetsk

Celtic FC vs. ŠK Slovan Bratislava

Club Brugge KV vs. Borussia Dortmund

Manchester City vs. FC Internazionale Milano

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Girona FC

Friday, September 20

Feyenoord vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen

FK Crvena Zvezda vs. SL Benfica

AS Monaco vs. FC Barcelona

Atalanta BC vs. Arsenal FC

Atlético de Madrid vs. RB Leipzig

Stade Brestois 29 vs. SK Sturm Graz