Arsenal's potential opponents in 2024/25 Champions League league phase

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal in the Champions League. Get used to it.

Following a six-year hiatus, the Gunners returned to UEFA's premier club competition last season, earning a quarter-final berth before succumbing to a wily Bayern Munich side.

It'd be hyperbolic to suggest Arsenal's European campaign last time out was magical given the absence of heavy hitters in Group B, but it was undeniably great to have that glorious anthem belting out at the Emirates again. PSV, Lens, and Sevilla were cast aside in the group stage, while a penalty shootout victory over Porto in the last 16 was the undoubted highlight.

Arteta will hope that more dazzling continental nights await his side, and the trajectory of the Spaniard's project suggests Arsenal will be sitting at Europe's top table for the forseeable future.

2024/25 is a watershed campaign for UEFA's club competitions with a Swiss model being introduced, meaning the antiquated group stage is no more. There's an all-new league phase to enjoy, and here's who Arsenal could face in the opening round of the competition.

When is the 2024/25 Champions League league phase draw?

Arsenal supporters can tune into the upcoming 2024/25 Champions League league phase draw on Thursday 29 August. The draw takes place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco and is scheduled to get underway at 17:00 GMT.

TNT Sports will be broadcasting Thursday's draw, but it will also be available to stream on their YouTube channel as well as UEFA.com.

What is the new Champions League format?

Arsenal will not be drawn into a group of four and play six games in a bid to reach the round of 16. Instead, the Gunners will compete in a 36-team league table and accumulate points over eight games.

Arsenal will play four league phase games at the Emirates and four away, with the top eight teams in the table at the end of Matchday 8 automatically qualify for the round of 16. Those that place between ninth and 24th will advance into a play-off round and have another chance to qualify for the last 16. Teams that finish 25th and below will be eliminated and they will not drop into the Europa League.

So, how will Arsenal's opponents be decided? Well, Arsenal, who are in Pot 2, will be manually drawn out of the hat, but their eight league phase opponents will be randomly determined by AI software. The Gunners cannot be drawn against teams from the Premier League, nor can they face more than two teams from any given league.

Arsenal will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots.

Arsenal's potential 2024/25 Champions League league phase opponents

The Swiss model format means pots are pretty redundant. Arsenal will be drawn against teams from Pot 2.

There are no 'easy' options from Pot 1, which includes the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter, and Paris Saint-Germain, but Arsenal wouldn't mind taking on Barcelona, RB Leipzig, or Borussia Dortmund. They can, of course, only be drawn against a maximum of two of the three German teams in Pot 1.

Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen are the standout opponents in Pot 2, although Juventus look to be enjoying a resurgence under Thiago Motta. That would be a belting fixture between two of Europe's hottest managerial properties. Atalanta and Milan are also in Arsenal's pot, with Benfica, Club Brugge, and Shakhtar Donetsk being more favourable draws.

Arsenal could meet Celtic from Pot 3, which also includes Feyenoord, Sporting CP, and PSV. Pot 4 consists of Monaco, Bologna, Stuttgart, Girona, Sturm Graz, and Brest - some of whom are making their Champions League debuts.

Dinamo Zagreb, RB Salzburg, Lille, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys, Slovan Bratislava, and Sparta Prague all qualified for the league phase via the play-offs and have each been placed into either Pot 3 or 4.

When will Arsenal play their league phase games?

The exact dates of Arsenal's league phase fixtures will be confirmed after Thursday's draw. The club's 2024/25 Champions League campaign will begin between 17-19 September 2024 with the final round of league phase fixtures scheduled for 29 January 2025.

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