CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
When is Matchday 2 of the 2024/25 Champions League? Full fixture list
With the UCL now using a new format, working out upcoming games is no longer as straightforward as it once was.
Monaco caused the biggest upset of Matchday 1 of the 2024/25 Champions League, defeating 10-man Barcelona 2-1 under the watchful eye of NBA icon Michael Jordan.
There were few surprises elsewhere, with Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain among the winners. Premier League duo Manchester City and Arsenal were held by Italian opposition (Inter Milan and Atalanta respectively).
Bayern became the first team to score nine goals in a Champions League game against Dinamo Zagreb, while there were also big victories for Aston Villa, Sparta Prague, Celtic, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.
2024/25 Champions League, Matchday 2 dates and times
With the Champions League now using a league phase rather than a group stage, each team plays eight matches - four at home and four away - against eight different opponents. Before the draw, the 36 teams were separated into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficient, with each team facing two teams from each of the four pots – one at home and one away.
Tuesday, October 1
RB Salzburg - Brest, 12:45pm ET
Stuttgart - Sparta Prague, 12:45pm ET
Arsenal - PSG, 3pm ET
Bayer Leverkusen - Milan, 3pm ET
Borussia Dortmund - Celtic, 3pm ET
Barcelona - Young Boys, 3pm ET
Inter Milan - Crvena Zvezda, 3pm ET
PSV Eindhoven - Sporting CP, 3pm ET
Slovan Bratislava - Manchester City, 3pm ET
Wednesday, October 2
Shakhtar Donetsk - Atalanta, 12:45pm ET
Girona - Feyenoord, 12:45pm ET
Aston Villa - Bayern Munich, 3pm ET
Dinamo Zagreb - Monaco, 3pm ET
Liverpool - Bologna, 3pm ET
Lille - Real Madrid, 3pm ET
RB Leipzig - Juventus, 3pm ET
Sturm Graz - Club Brugge, 3pm ET
Benfica - Atlético Madrid, 3pm ET
Among the highlights are Arsenal’s clash against PSG, with both arguably in the second tier of teams when it comes to contenders to lift the trophy. There will also be an Mbappé derby in northern France, as Kylian’s Real Madrid take on Ethan’s Lille.
No more Champions League Thursdays
While there were matches scheduled on Thursday on Matchday 1, that will not be the case going forward.
The opening week was referred to by UEFA as ‘exclusive week,’ which meant only Champions League games were played in the midweek of September 17-19.
From Matchday 2 onwards, fixtures are scheduled for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which has been the case for a number of years. The only exception is Matchday 8 of the league phase, with all games to be played on Wednesday, January 29.