All Soccer News and Updates for Topic: Champions League

Sturm Graz has enjoyed a strong start to the Austrian Bundesliga (W5, D1, L2), and their recent 2-1 win over FC Blau-Weiß Linz has them chasing another league title. However, their focus now shifts to the UEFA Champions League (UCL), where they need to bounce back from a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Brest in their opening match.

RB Leipzig ended a three-game winless streak in style with a 4-0 win over Augsburg, which should boost their confidence as they face Juventus on matchday two. However, Leipzig's history against Italian teams at home in Europe isn't promising, as they’ve yet to win (D1, L1).

Liverpool, six-time UEFA Champions League (UCL) winners, started their current campaign with a 3-1 victory away at AC Milan. Now they face another Serie A opponent, Bologna, as they return to Anfield. The Reds have a remarkable home record, winning their last ten group-stage games in European competitions, scoring 2+ goals in nine of those.

Lille’s recent 3-0 win over Le Havre in Ligue 1 was their first victory in over a month, a period that also included their 2-0 defeat to Sporting CP on Champions League matchday one. The French side faces an even greater challenge now as reigning European champions Real Madrid visit for their first-ever head-to-head clash.

Dinamo Zagreb and Monaco enter this Champions League clash after contrasting fortunes in their opening fixtures. Dinamo made unwanted history by becoming the first team to concede nine goals in a single Champions League match, leading to the dismissal of head coach Sergej Jakirović.

Benfica’s new manager Bruno Lage has enjoyed a fantastic start in his second stint at the club, winning four consecutive matches, including a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Red Star Belgrade in their Champions League opener. This gives the Portuguese side the opportunity to win their first two games in a Champions League campaign for just the third time.

Aston Villa are gearing up for a historic occasion, as they host six-time European champions Bayern Munich in their first-ever home Champions League fixture. Villa will take confidence from their dominant 3-0 victory over Young Boys in the opening matchday, part of a strong start to the season that has seen them lose just once in eight games (W6, D1).

Shakhtar Donetsk began their Champions League campaign with a goalless draw against Bologna. Unable to play in their home region of Donbas due to instability, Shakhtar continues to play their "home" games in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Girona’s debut in the UEFA Champions League got off to a disappointing start with a narrow 1-0 defeat away to PSG, where an unfortunate 90th-minute own goal by Paulo Gazzaniga denied them a valuable point. This result has seemed to affect Girona’s domestic form, as they’ve only managed two points from their last three La Liga games (D2, L1), conceding another late goal in a 1-1 draw with Celta Vigo.

Monaco’s return to the UEFA Champions League after finishing second in Ligue 1 last season under Adi Hütter sets up an exciting first test against Barcelona. Monaco enters the game unbeaten in their domestic campaign (W3, D1), most recently securing a 3-0 win over Auxerre.

Brest, having finished third in Ligue 1 last season, are entering their first-ever UEFA Champions League campaign. As the 12th different French club to reach this stage, Éric Roy’s side aim to make an impression despite a tough start to their domestic season, with three losses in their first four matches.

Atlético Madrid is set to begin this year's UEFA Champions League campaign, just five months after being knocked out by Borussia Dortmund. With two consecutive home games against Bundesliga teams, Atlético hopes to make a statement as they embark on their 12th straight UCL season under Diego Simeone.

Atalanta's thrilling start to the Serie A season continued as they came from behind to beat Fiorentina 3-2, with all goals scored in the first half. Their four league matches this season have averaged four goals per game (W2, L2), suggesting they could bring plenty of entertainment to their UEFA Champions League (UCL) campaign.

Feyenoord’s promising start to the Eredivisie season hit a bump with a 2-2 draw against Groningen, making it three draws from their first four matches. Despite this, they remain unbeaten in the league with 24 games without defeat (W17, D7). Feyenoord now looks to regain winning form as they begin their second consecutive UEFA Champions League (UCL) campaign.

Two former European champions face off in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) as Red Star Belgrade, winners of the 1991 European Cup, meet two-time champions Benfica. Red Star secured their spot in the competition by defeating Bodø/Glimt in a play-off, with Uroš Spajić highlighting the victory as a career highlight.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) continues to excel in Ligue 1, demonstrating their attacking prowess with 16 goals in their first four matches this season. However, their UEFA Champions League (UCL) campaign has been less fruitful, with their only final appearance in 2019/20 ending in defeat to Bayern Munich, and a semi-final exit last season to Borussia Dortmund.

Manchester City face Inter Milan in a rematch of the 2023 final, where City claimed their first-ever Champions League title. The hosts come into this game with an impressive 23-game unbeaten run in the competition over 90 minutes (W16, D7), boosting their confidence.

Club Brugge return to the UEFA Champions League after a strong showing in the Conference League last season. They’ve built confidence at home, having gone unbeaten at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Europe (W6, D3), and have started their domestic league with four straight wins.

Celtic begin their UEFA Champions League campaign in the newly formatted league phase with a home game, aiming to rekindle their European glory from 1966/67. This opening match is against Slovan Bratislava, considered one of the weaker teams in the group, making it crucial for Celtic to secure a victory if they want to advance to the knockout stages for the first time since 2012/13.

Sparta Prague return to the UEFA Champions League proper for the first time in 19 years after multiple unsuccessful qualification attempts. Having gone unbeaten in 13 competitive matches this season (W11, D2), the Czech champions have successfully navigated three qualification rounds to reach this stage.

Bologna’s 60-year wait for UEFA Champions League football finally ends after a fifth-place finish in Serie A last season, earning them a spot in Europe’s elite competition for the first time since their Italian title win in 1964. However, the summer departures of key figures, including manager Thiago Motta, have had an impact.

Sporting CP, despite a recent unimpressive European record, have started the 2024/25 season in blistering form domestically. They lead Liga Portugal after winning their first five games with an impressive 19-2 aggregate score.

Real Madrid, the reigning UEFA Champions League champions, kick off their 2024/25 campaign with a match against Stuttgart. Last season, Madrid was unbeaten against Bundesliga teams, including a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the UCL final to secure their 15th European title.

Bayern Munich, after a perfect start to their Bundesliga season with 11 goals in three matches, embark on their 17th consecutive Champions League campaign with high hopes. Having reached the semi-finals last season, they aim to progress further this year.

AC Milan and Liverpool will face off in a highly anticipated Champions League clash, rekindling memories of their dramatic encounters in previous finals. Liverpool's iconic comeback in Istanbul in 2005 and Milan's revenge in Athens in 2007 are etched in UCL history.

Young Boys and Aston Villa are set to make history as they play in the inaugural UEFA Champions League league phase. The Swiss side, having achieved their first-ever consecutive UCL appearances this season, will aim for a significant milestone: a springtime UCL appearance.

Juventus returns to European competition after a year’s absence due to financial regulation violations, facing PSV at the Allianz Stadium. Despite both teams’ illustrious histories and their previous European successes in the 1980s, this will be their first-ever meeting.