RADIO
The new league phase format introduces a fresh approach to strategizing and analyzing each Champions League team's fixtures. However, to stay ahead of your Champions League fantasy mini-league rivals, mastering when to target specific fixtures will showcase your skill and give you an edge in the competition.
Hello, everyone. As RotoBaller embarks on its second season covering the UEFA Champions League, this article serves as your preview into the thrilling journey of the new Champions League 2024-25 season with its final set for Munich Football Arena, Germany.
The Matchday 1 deadline of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season is Tuesday, September 17 at 12:45 p.m. EDT, when Young Boys entertains Aston Villa and Juventus host PSV Eindhoven. Also, check out the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every English Premier League slate with our EPL DFS lineup picks and betting picks.
Champions League: All the league phase fixtures for 2024/25 👇#UCL
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 31, 2024
Top-Ranked Teams with Easier Fixtures
According to Opta Fixture Difficulty Ratings, Celtic, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund top the list of teams with favorable fixtures to target.
Celtic, in particular, benefit from not being drawn against Champions League heavyweights like Manchester City, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, or Bayern Munich, making their upcoming matches more favorable in the league phase.
| BEST UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PHASE FIXTURES | |||||||||
| Ranking | Team | MD 1 | MD 2 | MD 3 | MD 4 | MD 5 | MD 6 | MD 7 | MD 8 |
| 1 | CEL | SLO (H) | BVB (A) | ATA (A) | RBL (H) | BRU (H) | DZA (A) | YB (H) | AVL (A) |
| 2 | FCB | DZA (H) | AVL (A) | BAR (A) | SLB (H) | PSG (H) | SHK (A) | FEY (A) | SLO (H) |
| 3 | BVB | BRU (A) | CEL (H) | RMA (A) | SGR (H) | DZA (A) | BAR (H) | BOL (A) | SHK (A) |
| 4 | BAR | ASM (A) | YB (H) | FCB (H) | CZV (A) | BRE (H) | BVB (A) | SLB (A) | ATA (H) |
| 5 | AVL | YB (A) | FCB (H) | BOL (H) | BRU (A) | JUV (H) | RBL (A) | ASM (A) | CEL (H) |
| 6 | STU | RMA (A) | SPA (H) | JUV (A) | ATA (H) | CZV (A) | YB (H) | SLO (A) | PSG (H) |
| 7 | YB | AVL (H) | BAR (A) | INT (H) | SHK (A) | ATA (H) | STU (A) | CEL (A) | CZV (H) |
| 8 | ATA | ARS (H) | SHK (A) | CEL (A) | STU (A) | YB (A) | RMA (H) | SGR (H) | BAR (A) |
| 9 | PSV | JUV (A) | SPO (H) | PSG (A) | GIR (H) | SHK (H) | BRE (A) | CZV (A) | LIV (H) |
| 10 | DZA | FCB (A) | ASM (H) | SAL (A) | SLO (A) | BVB (H) | CEL (H) | ARS (A) | MIL (A) |
| 11 | MIL | LIV (H) | LEV (A) | BRU (H) | RMA (A) | SLO (A) | CZV (H) | GIR (H) | DZA (A) |
| 12 | ATM | RBL (H) | SLB (A) | LIL (H) | PSG (A) | SPA (A) | SLO (H) | LEV (H) | SAL (A) |
| 13 | BOL | SHK (H) | LIV (A) | AVL (A) | ASM (H) | LIL (H) | SLB (A) | BVB (H) | SPO (A) |
| 14 | GIR | PSG (A) | FEY (H) | SLO (H) | PSV (A) | SGR (A) | LIV (H) | MIL (A) | ARS (H) |
| 15 | MCI | INT (H) | SLO (A) | SPA (H) | SPO (A) | FEY (H) | JUV (A) | PSG (A) | BRU (H) |
| 16 | BRE | SGR (H) | SAL (A) | LEV (H) | SPA (A) | BAR (A) | PSV (H) | SHK (A) | RMA (H) |
| 17 | SHK | BOL (A) | ATA (H) | ARS (A) | YB (H) | PSV (A) | FCB (H) | BRE (H) | BVB (A) |
| 18 | RMA | STU (H) | LIL (A) | BVB (H) | MIL (H) | LIV (A) | ATA (A) | SAL (H) | BRE (A) |
Historical data indicates that Real Madrid and Manchester City have consistently thrived in previous campaigns, particularly in their home fixtures. Therefore, both of these favorites are expected to perform well during the new league phase.
Top-Ranked Teams with Harder Fixtures
According to Opta Fixture Difficulty Ratings, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Sparta Praha, and Liverpool are ranked among the top teams facing tougher fixtures in the league phase.
The French giants, PSG, are scheduled to face top sides like Arsenal, Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City in five of their eight outings, making their fixtures less appealing for managers looking to invest in their fantasy assets.
| TOUGH UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PHASE FIXTURES | |||||||||
| Ranking | Team | MD 1 | MD 2 | MD 3 | MD 4 | MD 5 | MD 6 | MD 7 | MD 8 |
| 1 | PSG | GIR (H) | ARS (A) | PSV (H) | ATM (H) | FCB (A) | SAL (A) | MCI (H) | STU (A) |
| 2 | SPA | SAL (H) | STU (A) | MCI (A) | BRE (H) | ATM (H) | FEY (A) | INT (H) | LEV (A) |
| 3 | LIV | MIL (A) | BOL (H) | RBL (A) | LEV (H) | RMA (H) | GIR (A) | LIL (H) | PSV (A) |
| 4 | FEY | LEV (H) | GIR (A) | SLB (A) | SAL (H) | MCI (A) | SPA (H) | FCB (H) | LIL (A) |
| 5 | LIL | SPO (A) | RMA (H) | ATM (A) | JUV (H) | BOL (A) | SGR (A) | LIV (A) | FEY (H) |
| 6 | SAL | SPA (A) | BRE (H) | DZA (H) | FEY (A) | LEV (A) | PSG (H) | RMA (A) | ATM (H) |
| 7 | SPO | LIL (H) | PSV (A) | SGR (A) | MCI (H) | ARS (H) | BRU (A) | RBL (A) | BOL (H) |
| 8 | SLO | CEL (A) | MCI (H) | GIR (A) | DZA (H) | MIL (H) | ATM (A) | STU (H) | FCB (A) |
| 9 | INT | MCI (A) | CZV (H) | YB (A) | ARS (H) | RBL (H) | LEV (A) | SPA (A) | ASM (H) |
| 10 | JUV | PSV (H) | RBL (A) | STU (H) | LIL (A) | AVL (A) | MCI (H) | BRU (A) | SLB (H) |
| 11 | RBL | ATM (A) | JUV (H) | LIV (H) | CEL (A) | INT (A) | AVL (H) | SPO (H) | SGR (A) |
| 12 | ARS | ATA (A) | PSG (H) | SHK (H) | INT (A) | SPO (A) | ASM (H) | DZA (H) | GIR (A) |
| 13 | BRU | BVB (H) | SGR (A) | MIL (A) | AVL (H) | CEL (A) | SPO (H) | JUV (H) | MCI (A) |
| 14 | CZV | SLB (H) | INT (A) | ASM (A) | BAR (H) | STU (H) | MIL (A) | PSV (H) | YB (A) |
| 15 | SLB | CZV (A) | ATM (H) | FEY (H) | FCB (A) | ASM (A) | BOL (H) | FCB (H) | JUV (A) |
| 16 | SGR | BRE (A) | BRU (H) | SPO (H) | BVB (A) | GIR (H) | LIL (A) | ATA (A) | RBL (H) |
| 17 | ASM | BAR (H) | DZA (A) | CZV (H) | BOL (A) | SLB (H) | ARS (A) | AVL (H) | INT (A) |
| 18 | LEV | FEY (A) | MIL (H) | BRE (A) | LIV (A) | SAL (H) | INT (H) | ATM (A) | SPA (H) |
Teams To Target Between Matchday 1 -4
After analyzing the Champions League schedule, here are several teams fantasy managers should prioritize for their draft selections during the first four gameweeks:
Favorable Fixtures: Top Three Games to Attack
Matchday 1:
- Young Boys vs Aston Villa
- Paris Saint-Germain vs Girona
- Real Madrid vs Stuttgart
Matchday 2:
- Liverpool vs Bologna
- Inter Milan vs Red Star Belgrade
- ŠK Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City
Matchday 3:
- Atlético Madrid vs Lille
- Manchester City vs AC Sparta Praha
- AC Milan vs Club Brugge
Matchday 4:
- Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen
- Losc Lille vs Juventus
- Bayern Munich vs SL Benfica
Dark Horses: Teams Poised to Surprise in the League Phase
The 2024/25 season sees the return of historic clubs like Liverpool, AS Monaco, LOSC Lille, Atalanta, and GNK Dinamo, among others.After over six decades away from the competition, Bologna is back in the Champions League. The 1982 champions, Aston Villa, also make their long-awaited return.
Meanwhile, teams such as Girona FC, Stade Brestois 29, and Slovan Bratislava will make their Champions League debuts. Now, let’s turn our attention to three teams (besides the usual favorites) that managers should keep an eye on this season:
"Invincible" Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen made history by becoming the first team to win the Bundesliga without losing a single match, finishing the 2023/24 season with 28 wins and six draws. They went on to secure the DFB-Pokal, completing an undefeated domestic double, only falling short of a potential treble after losing to Atalanta in the Europa League Final.
WWWWDWWWWWWWWWWWWWWDWDWWWWWDWWWWWWDWWWWWWWWDDDWWD
The longest unbeaten run since the introduction of UEFA club competitions now belongs to Bayer 04 Leverkusen. pic.twitter.com/Rs3CfFdmRk
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 9, 2024
Last Season's Leverkusen Stats
- League Finish: First, 90 points
- Most goals: Victor Okoh Boniface, 14 goals
- Most assists: Alejandro Grimaldo, 13 assists
- Player of the Season: Florian Wirtz, 11 goals and 11 assists
Magic in his boots 🧙♂️🪄
Florian #Wirtz is the Bundesliga Player of the Season! 🖤❤️#BundesligaPOTM | #Bayer04 #Werkself pic.twitter.com/w5u7xhh3Qq
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) May 20, 2024
2023/24 UEFA Europa Champions - Atalanta BC
Atalanta closed the 2023/24 season in strong form, finishing fourth in Serie A with 21 wins, six draws, and 11 losses. Their crowning achievement was clinching their first European title by defeating an undefeated Bayer Leverkusen side, with Nigerian international Ademola Lookman netting a memorable hat-trick in the Europa league final.
1 - Atalanta won their first major European trophy, becoming the first Italian team to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League since Parma in 1999. Triumph.#UELFinal #UEFAEuropaLeague #AtaLev pic.twitter.com/uqKqCeS45E
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 22, 2024
Last Season's Atalanta Stats
- League Finish: Fourth, 69 points
- Most goals: Gianluca Scamacca and Teun Koopmeiners, 12 goals
- Most assists: Charles De Ketelaere, 13 assists
2023/24 Eredivisie Champions - PSV Eindhoven
With 111 goals scored, conceding 21 goals in the Dutch league last season, PSV became Eredivisie champions for the first time in over six seasons finishing with 29 wins, four draws, and one loss.
25 – @PSV are crowned league champions for the 25th time in club history, with this their first @eredivisie title since 2018 (6 seasons ago); only in 1963-1975 (12), 1978-1986 (8), and 2008-2015 (7) was the gap between two PSV championships bigger. Awaited. pic.twitter.com/FHkRDCTmaC
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) May 5, 2024
Last Season's PSV Eindhoven Stats
- League Finish: First, 91 points
- Most goals: Luuk De Jong, 12 goals
- Most assists: Joey Veerman, 16 assists
Join The RotoBaller League
Once again, join our RotoBaller.com league. Hit any of our writers up over the next two weeks, we will give you the code (also in the graphic below), and you'll be good to go. Good luck for UEFA Champions League Fantasy, RotoBallers!
Stick around for more UCL Fantasy content coming soon. Is there a question you would like to have answered every week? Hit us up on X @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
