Arsenal have been tipped to finish in the top-eight of the Champions League League Phase following the recent draw and fixture release.
Draw balls displayed on set prior to the draw ceremony for the UEFA Champions League 2023-2024 Group Stage at The Grimaldi Forum in the Principality of Monaco on August 31, 2023. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal recently learned their opponents for the Champions League League Phase, with the fixtures set to take place from mid-September to late January.
Arsenal didn’t have an easy draw, with Opta Analyst putting the Gunners’ schedule as the 12th most difficult from the 36 teams involved.
Away trips to Atalanta, Inter Milan, and Sporting CP certainly don’t help, and the Gunners also have to host Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.
LONDON, ENGLAND: Arsenal fans show their support and hold up a banner reading “Vamos” prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brentford FC at Emirates Stadium on March 09, 2024. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Yet despite that draw, Opta Analyst are still predicting Arsenal to finish in the top-eight – just about.
The Gunners are predicted to finish eighth in the standings, behind Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, and Borussia Dortmund, and just one spot ahead of Liverpool.
That would mean narrowly sneaking into the top-eight and avoiding playing in the additional play-off round for teams finishing ninth to 24th.
Mikel Arteta’s side are only given a 7.5% chance of elimination at this first stage, which is encouraging.
Arsenal’s Champions League League Phase draw
Italy’s former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon shows the paper slip of Arsenal (ENG) during the group stage of the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League football tournament, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on August 29, 2024. (Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)
All of Arsenal’s games are at 20:00 BST, with the dates listed below:
- Thursday, September 19th – Atalanta vs Arsenal
- Tuesday, October 1st – Arsenal vs PSG
- Tuesday, October 22nd – Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk
- Wednesday, November 6th – Inter Milan vs Arsenal
- Tuesday, November 26th – Sporting CP vs Arsenal
- Wednesday, December 11th – Arsenal vs Monaco
- Wednesday, January 22nd – Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb
- Wednesday, January 29th – Girona vs Arsenal
What is the new Champions League format?
The UEFA Champions League trophy during the draw for the UEFA Champions League 2023-2024 at The Grimaldi Forum in the Principality of Monaco. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
The new competition will begin with a “league stage”, with all 36 clubs ranked against each other in one big league table. The table will be determined by points, three points for a win and one for a draw.
Each club will play eight matches in the league stage, with four at home, and four away. But the matches will be against eight different teams, you’ll only play each opponent once.
After that, the competition will move to the knockout stages.
The teams finishing in the top eight in the league stage will progress directly to the round-of-16, whilst teams nine to 24 will enter a two-legged play-off round to try and join the top eight.
Teams finishing 25th or below in the league stage will be eliminated, and they won’t drop into the Europa League. The losers of the play-off round will also not drop into the Europa League.
From the round-of-16 onwards, the competition will play out as it normally does, with two-legged knockout ties until the single-leg final.
The knockout stages will be partially seeded, with your league finish giving you an easier path against worse opponents if you finished higher in the league table. But there will still be a seeded draw to determine your exact opponents.
When will the matches be played?
Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England on August 24, 2024. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
League Stage
Arsenal will play one match on each of the eight league stage matchdays, listed below. The exact details of all the fixtures will be confirmed on Saturday, 31st August.
- Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024
- Matchday 2: 1/2 October 2024
- Matchday 3: 22/23 October 2024
- Matchday 4: 5/6 November 2024
- Matchday 5: 26/27 November 2024
- Matchday 6: 10/11 December 2024
- Matchday 7: 21/22 January 2025
- Matchday 8: 29 January 2025
Knockout Stage
If Arsenal finish 1st-8th in the league stage, they’ll then jump to the round-of-16. If they finish 9th-24th, they’ll play in the knockout round play-offs, giving the team an extra two games in February.
If they finish 25th-36th, their participation in European competition will end on January 29th.
