Supercomputer predicts Liverpool to finish 18th in Champions League; Arsenal, Real Madrid and Manchester City also learn predicted fates
A supercomputer has predicted how the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Manchester City would fare in the UEFA Champions League this season. The new-look format - featuring 36 teams - kicks off on Tuesday.
Los Blancos are the defending champions - beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final - eliminating holders City on penalties in the quarter-final along the way. Arsenal also made the last-eight - losing 3-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich - while the Reds are back in the competition after a year's absence.
The 2024-25 edition of the Champions League features each team taking on eight different teams in the league phase (former group stage), with the top-eight to progress to the Round of 16, while the ones finishing ninth to 24th will battle it out in the play-offs.
As per The Sun, Grosvenor Sports' supercomputer has predicted how each team would fare this season, including the final. It has City finishing fifth in the super group with five wins and three draws and Los Blancos to top the group with eight wins. However, it predicts City to beat holders Madrid 2-0 in the final.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are predicted to finish tenth in the group and feature in the play-offs, with the Reds expected to end up 18th. Mikel Arteta's side have been predicted to lose to Liverpool in the quarter-final.
The other English side - Aston Villa - are predicted to finish seventh and reach the knockouts but fail to reach the last-eight.
The league phase of the new Champions League will be played between September and December. One exclusive matchweek will feature games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with no UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League matches to be played that week.
The exclusive week for the Champions League is matchday one, with this week to feature games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
What happened when Liverpool last played Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League?
Real Madrid are the most successful side in UEFA Champions League history, with 15 titles, with nine of them coming during the Champions League era (1992-93 onwards).
Liverpool also have pedigree in the competition, winning it six times, with their last title coming in 2019. The Reds, though, don't have happy memories of their last meeting with Los Blancos.
The two European heavyweights collided in the 2022-23 Round of 16. Real Madrid won the first leg 5-2 away before beating Liverpool by a solitary goal at home. The two sides meet again this season, at Anfield on November 27.