four at home and four away.

- **Three points** are awarded for a win and **one point** for a draw.

- The **top eight teams** in the league will automatically qualify for the knockout stages.

- Teams finishing in **ninth to 24th place** will compete in a **two-legged play-off** to secure a place in the last 16 of the competition.

- Teams that finish between **ninth and 16th** will be seeded in the knockout phase play-off draw, meaning they will face a team placed **17th to 24th**.

- The **eight clubs** that win in the knockout phase play-offs will then progress to the round of 16, where they will each face one of the top-eight finishers, who will be seeded.

- The pairings of the knockout phase will also be partly determined by the league phase rankings, with a draw that lays out the route for teams to reach the final.

A new format brings new expectations in the Champions League this season, with clubs looking at the mathematics to see how many points they would need to qualify for the knockout rounds in the league phase structure.

The Opta supercomputer believes that **15 points** from a possible 24 would almost certainly be enough to secure a top-eight spot in the New Year.

The data also suggests that **12 points** could be enough to sneak into eighth place, with that points tally being sufficient in **73 percent** of Opta's **50,000 simulations** of the league phase.

However, **four wins and two draws** (or other combinations) are unlikely to be enough for a top-eight finish, so the target for the biggest sides is likely to be **15 points**.

To guarantee a play-off spot at least, Opta believes that **10 points** (or other combinations) will almost certainly secure a place in that round.

This means teams who win in the opening round of Champions League fixtures need just **seven points** from the remaining seven games to guarantee themselves a play-off spot.

On the other hand, **six points** (or other combinations) could be enough to finish 24th, with that points tally being sufficient in **69 percent** of the simulations.

But just **five points** (two wins and a draw, or other combinations) runs the risk of elimination, with that points tally being sufficient in just **16 percent** of the simulations.

Teams will be targeting **15 points** to give them the best possible chance of reaching the Champions League knockout rounds.

The **2024/25 UEFA Champions League final** will take place in Munich at the **Allianz Arena** on **May 31, 2025**.