Jamie Carragher ‘makes his feelings clear’ on new Champions League format as Liverpool face Real Madrid

Champions League Draw Reaction: Jamie Carragher Says New Format Will "Inject Some New Life" into the Competition

The UEFA Champions League draw for the 2024/25 season has been completed, and ex-Liverpool star Jamie Carragher has already shared his thoughts on the revamped format.

In the revamped league stage, 36 teams will compete for a spot in the last 16. The top eight teams will advance directly, while teams finishing 9-25 will face off in a play-off round.

Carragher, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, seems to be excited about the new format. He shared a tweet that praised the draw, stating that the "heavyweight clashes" will bring new life to the competition. "Will inject some new life into the sport," he wrote.

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The Sky Sports pundit reposted a message from an X user, Raj Chohan, which read: "Liverpool vs Real Madrid, Barcelona vs Bayern, Man City vs PSG, Bayern vs PSG, Liverpool vs Leverkusen, Arsenal vs PSG, Inter vs Arsenal, Man City vs Inter. Heavyweight clashes between Europe’s best teams & players right from the start, so good."

Premier League Teams Face Tough Draws

Manchester City will face Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Club Brugge, Juventus, Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon, Sparta Praha, and Slovan Bratislava in the group stage. Manchester City’s draw looks quite challenging, with encounters against powerhouse clubs like PSG and Juventus.

Liverpool have been handed a difficult draw, welcoming Real Madrid to Anfield and also facing AC Milan away. Xabi Alonso will return to Anfield with the reigning Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen.

Aston Villa will face Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in their first Champions League campaign, as well as fellow British side Celtic and Monaco. This looks like a tough opening salvo for the Villains, who will have to navigate the waters against top-tier opponents.

Arsenal’s Draw

Arsenal’s draw is also worth examining. They will face Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, as well as Shakhtar Donetsk, Atalanta, Dinamo Zagreb, Sporting Lisbon, Monaco, and Girona. Arsenal will have to navigate these top-level opponents to secure a spot in the last 16.

Champions League Draw in Full (Premier League Teams)

Liverpool:

• Real Madrid (H)
• RB Leipzig (A)
• Bayer Leverkusen (H)
• AC Milan (A)
• Lille (H)
• PSV (A)
• Bologna (H)
• Girona (A)

Manchester City:

• Inter Milan (H)
• Paris Saint-Germain (A)
• Club Brugge (H)
• Juventus (A)
• Feyenoord (H)
• Sporting Lisbon (A)
• Sparta Praha (H)
• Slovan Bratislava (A)

Arsenal:

• Paris Saint-Germain (H)
• Inter Milan (A)
• Shakhtar Donetsk (H)
• Atalanta (A)
• Dinamo Zagreb (H)
• Sporting Lisbon (A)
• Monaco (H)
• Girona (A)

Aston Villa:

• Bayern Munich (H)
• RB Leipzig (A)
• Juventus (H)
• Club Brugge (A)
• Celtic (H)
• Young Boys (A)
• Bologna (H)
• Monaco (A)

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