Bayern Munich UCL 2024-25 League Phase Draw: The 2024-25 Champions League draw took place in Monaco last evening, with teams getting to know who they will face as part of the new ‘League Phase’. Today, we will look at all the matches Bayern Munich will play in the first round of the UCL.
Drastic changes were made in the opening round of the Champions League this season. Firstly, there will now be 36 teams in the competition, four more than the 32 that was the number until last year. In what is the biggest change in the league’s format, there will no longer be a group stage. Instead, in the new league phase, each team will face eight different teams once rather than going in a group of four teams and facing each other twice.
All teams will be in one giant table of 36 teams. Each team will face four teams at home and four other teams away in a total of eight league games. Before the draw, each team was put into one of four pots based on their UEFA coefficient, which is essentially their ranking. Each team will face at least two teams from each pot, ensuring a varied level of competition for each side.
The top eight teams will automatically make it to the round of 16. Whereas teams finishing 9th to 24th will go into an elimination playoff, winning which will grant them a place in the pre-quarterfinal. The bottom 12 teams will be eliminated from the Champions League and will not go to either the Europa League or the Conference League.
While all the matches and the Matchday dates have been announced, the actual dates for any of the matches will be announced on August 31. This means that despite knowing the dates on which the UCL matches will take place, we don’t know the exact date for any particular game.
With all that being said, here are the eight teams that Bayern Munich will face in the League Phase of the 2024/25 Champions League: Bayern Munich UCL 2024-25 League Phase Draw.
Bayern Munich UCL 2024-25 League Phase Draw
1) Paris Saint-Germain (Home)
One of the many rematches of former UCL finals, PSG faced Bayern Munich in the final of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League final. The two even faced off in the Round of 16 last season. PSG won Ligue 1 last season to reach the Champions League. In one of the most high-profile matches of this competition, both of these teams will look to finish in the top eight in the league phase. Paris Saint-Germain was in Pot One of the draw.
2) FC Barcelona (Away)
These two teams have a long history of facing off in the UEFA Champions League, usually in the group stage. Their highest-profile encounters include a Bayern win in the semi-final of 2012/13 and an 8-2 thumping the Bavarians gave Barcelona in the quarter-final in the 2019/20 season. FC Barcelona finished second in La Liga last season to reach the UCL and were in Pot One of the draw.
3) Benfica (Home)
Benfica has never defeated Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Benfica, otherwise known for finishing third in their group and falling down to the Europa League, where they make a deep run, is one of the teams that might be harmed by the new rule that no UCL teams would go to the UEL. They finished second in Liga Portugal last season to reach the Champions League. Benfica was in Pot Two of the draw.
Check Out: Bayern Munich UCL 2024-25 League Phase Draw
4) Shakhtar Donetsk (Away)
The biggest club in Ukraine is a regular part of the UEFA Champions League. One of the clubs that make it to the league almost every year but are never in contention to win it is Shakhtar Donetsk. They made it to the UCL after winning the Ukrainian Premier League last season. Shakhtar was in Pot Two of the draw.
5) Dinamo Zagreb (Home)
Dinamo Zagreb is yet another club that makes it at least to the qualifying round of the Champions League each season. This season, they thumped Qarabag FK in the qualification playoff to make their way into the UCL. Having won the Croatian Football League nine times in the last 10 seasons, they won the league by a fair margin last time around to reach the Champions League. Dinamo Zagreb was in Pot Three of the Draw.
6) Feyenoord (Away)
This is Feyenoord’s second consecutive appearance in the UEFA Champions League after playing in the Europa League for 14 seasons. Last season, they finished second in the Eredivisie behind PSV to qualify for the UCL. Feyenoord was in Pot Three of the draw.
7) SK Slovan Bratislava (Home)
The team with the smallest squad value in the competition, SK Slovan Bratislava, made it through five rounds of qualification to make it to the UEFA Champions League, a very rare feat. They won the Slovan First Football League last season and will not only face Bayern Munich this season but will also play Manchester City, making their chances to make it top of the playoffs slim, but will add to what is already a memorable season for the Slovenian champions. SK Slovan Bratislava was in Pot Four of the draw.
8) Aston Villa (Away)
Some younger fans might not know this, but Aston Villa is one of the most successful clubs in English football history, winning the European Cup (now known as UEFA Champions League) in 1981-82. But in the intervening years, they not only failed to make it back to the tournament, they even fell down to the English Championship in 2016. This is their first UCL appearance under this name of the league and the first in any incarnation of the competition since 1982-83. Aston Villa finished fourth in the Premier League last season and was in Pot Four of the draw.
These are all the games Bayern Munich will play in the League Phase of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 as they look to win their seventh Champions League title.
Check Out: Bayern Munich UCL 2024-25 League Phase Draw
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