Complete Guide to Liverpool’s Eight Champions League Opponents

There is a new format for the 2024/25 Champions League, with four additional teams, and the number of games increased from 125 to 189. Instead of eight groups of four, a ‘League Phase’ will be played, with every team playing eight games – four at home and four away. Liverpool have a long history in this competition, but like the other teams in the main draw, this will be a marked change from recent years.

Arne Slot’s side have started their Premier League season with a 100% win record, beating Ipswich Town, Brentford, and Manchester United. The Reds will begin their Champions League campaign with a trip to AC Milan at the San Siro. Slot would have hoped for a slightly easier ‘League Phase’ draw with 15-time European champions set to visit Anfield later in the season. Here is a complete guide to Liverpool’s eight opponents in the Champions League for the 2024/25 campaign.

AC Milan

These two sides have met in the Champions League final twice. The first of these was in 2005 when Liverpool inexplicably came from 3-0 down at half-time to lift the trophy. AC Milan got revenge two years later, though, with a 2-1 win in Athens. This was the last time they won the competition. Milan had a barren run in the 2010s, only winning one Serie A and falling behind their European rivals.

Last season, the Italian giants finished second in Serie A behind their rivals Inter Milan but exited the Champions League in the group stages. They have boosted their squad this summer with five signings, including Youssouf Fofana, Tammy Abraham, and Alvaro Morata. So far, they have struggled in the league, winning none of their first three games, and will be looking to kickstart their campaign with a win against Slot’s side.

Bologna

Bologna made history last season, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 1965. Thiago Motta was the head coach, with Joshua Zirkzee the top scorer in all competitions. Both these two have moved on this summer, though, with Motta joining Juventus and Zirkzee signing for Manchester United. On top of this, Riccardo Calafiori has departed for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal to leave Bologna without some of their key men from last season.

They have looked to bring players in to strengthen the squad ahead of their first Champions League campaign in six decades. New additions include Thijs Dallinga from Toulouse and Nicolo Cambiaghi from Atalanta. Like AC Milan, they haven’t started the season well, with new manager Vincenzo Italiano winless in the first three league games.

RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig enjoyed a successful campaign last season, winning the DFL-Supercup and finishing fourth in the Bundesliga. They also reached the Round of 16 in the Champions League before losing 2-1 on aggregate to the eventual champions Real Madrid. Dani Olmo, who starred for Spain at Euro 2024, left the club to join Barcelona this summer, along with centre-back Mohamed Simakan, who has joined Al Nassr of the Saudi Pro League.

In terms of incomings, Leipzig have brought in the likes of Lutsharel Geertruida from Feyenoord and the highly-rated Antonio Nusa from Club Brugge. The last time these two teams met was in the 2020/21 Champions League Round of 16, with Liverpool winning 4-0 on aggregate.

Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen enjoyed a remarkable 2023/24 season. Their defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League final was their only competitive loss across the whole campaign, as they won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. Head coach Xabi Alonso knows Liverpool very well, having spent five years there as a player, winning the Champions League in Istanbul under Rafa Benitez in 2005.

Alonso is a popular figure at Anfield for his exploits as a player, and even though he didn’t join the club to replace Jurgen Klopp, he will likely be met with a warm reception. Leverkusen’s recent loss to RB Leipzig was their first Bundesliga loss in 35 games. They will be hoping to repeat the trick of winning their domestic title and advance into the latter stages of the Champions League – a competition that Alonso won twice as a player.

Real Madrid

This is arguably the best match of the ‘League Phase’ in this year’s Champions League. Real Madrid travel to Liverpool on Wednesday 27th November – a repeat of the 2018 and 2022 Champions League finals. Carlo Ancelotti’s side won the competition for a record-extending 15th time last season before adding Kylian Mbappe in the summer. It has not all gone to plan so far, though, with dropped points in two of their first four games.

Liverpool will be looking to win against Los Blancos for the first time since 2009. In the 15 years after their 4-0 win at Anfield. The Reds are winless in eight head-to-head games against Real Madrid, with the most recent defeat a 1-0 loss in the second leg 2022/23 Champions League Round of 16. The first leg of this tie saw Ancelotti’s men come away with a 5-2 victory.

Girona

Michel led Girona to a third-placed finish in La Liga last season, qualifying them for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. Their 81-point tally left them only four points behind Barcelona. Girona play a high-octane style of football and look to press their opposition with a high line. They scored 85 league goals in the 2023/24 campaign, only two fewer than champions Real Madrid.

The Spanish club are part of the City Football Group portfolio of clubs worldwide. Michel’s performance as head coach has led to speculation that he might replace Pep Guardiola if he leaves Manchester City in 2025. If he can beat Liverpool in the Champions League, it would be a great way to stake his claim for the City hotseat.

Lille

Following a fourth-placed finish in Ligue 1 and a quarter-final defeat in the Europa Conference League, head coach Paulo Fonseca and sought-after centre-back Leny Yoro left the club this summer. To replace Fonseca, Bruno Genesio was appointed as head coach. He finished in the top four twice with Rennes before leaving the club in November 2023 with a win percentage of just over 50%.

Lille will be happy that they kept hold of last season’s top scorer, Jonathan David, who turned down multiple offers from various European clubs in the 2024 summer transfer window. He will be key to their chances of securing enough points to qualify for the next stage of the competition and will be someone that Liverpool need to keep an eye on.

PSV Eindhoven

Liverpool’s last League Phase match is an away trip to PSV Eindhoven. All 18 Champions League matches will kick-off at the same time on Wednesday 29th January, which is one of the most notable changes for this year’s new format. PSV won the Eredivisie last season, finishing seven points clear of Slot’s Feyenoord. The Dutch head coach faced PSV three times last year, winning one, drawing one, and losing one.

Johan Bakayoko is the danger man for the 25-time Eredivisie winners. With uncertainty around Mohamed Salah’s contract, which expires in 2025, the club are looking for a successor. Bakayoko is one of the players that has been scouted by Liverpool’s new-look structure behind the scenes. In June 2024, Ben Jacobs said:

Information gathered from 11v11 and Transfermarkt.