CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Five of the last seven Champions League finals will be replayed this season
The Champions League draw was held in the new format, and the fixture list gave us some memorable clashes of years gone by.
Everything is set for a new and unique Champions League season that moves away from the traditional group stage format and introduces a league system where almost every team plays against each other, promising exciting matches from the very first match day.
One intriguing aspect of this new Champions League season, taking place between September 17 and 19, is that throughout the first eight match days, fans will witness a series of compelling matches, including replays of five of the last seven Champions League finals.
Among these previous finals being revisited, the most notable is the most recent one between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, where the Spanish team secured their fifteenth European Cup. Here are other notable finals to be replayed in this Champions League season:
2022-23: Manchester City vs. Inter
Manchester City’s first-ever Champions League final occurred just a year ago, with Rodri’s goal against Inter, who made a surprising run to the final. Now, the Nerazzurri will face the Sky Blues again in a rematch of that historic final.
2021-2022 and 2017-2018: Real Madrid vs. Liverpool
Real Madrid and Liverpool will meet again in the Champions League, although this time not in a final. This encounter brings back memories of their two finals over the past decade, the one in Paris in 2022 and the one in Kyiv in 2018, both of which ended in victories for Madrid over Jürgen Klopp’s team.
2019-2020: Bayern Munich vs. PSG
Bayern Munich and PSG will also face each other again in this Champions League, recalling the final in which the German team triumphed. Since then, PSG has seen significant changes, with stars like Mbappé moving to Madrid and Neymar heading to Saudi Arabia, marking the end of what was once considered PSG’s golden generation.
Additionally, several other historic finals will be replayed this season. A standout match on Day 3 of the tournament is the clash between Real Madrid and Milan, when Los Blancos will welcome Christian Pulisic to the Bernabéu. The same matchday will also feature Barcelona vs. Benfica and Aston Villa vs. Bayern Munich, recreating the match which saw the English side win their sole European title in 1981-82.
Another repeated final will be the Liverpool vs. Milan showdown, a rivalry that produced two epic games at the start of this century, with each team winning once.