UEFA Champions League 2024/25: List of teams Barcelona are set to face in league phase of tournament
Barcelona's eight opponents in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 league phase have been determined as per the new format. They are set to face Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Young Boys, and Brest at home, and Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Crvena Zvezda, and AS Monaco in away games.
As per the new format, each club will face eight teams once, either at home or in an away fixture. This means Barcelona will only play their home and away opponents once each. The first stage will be called the league phase as opposed to the group stage of the previous format.
Following the league phase, the top eight teams will automatically qualify for the Round of 16. Teams finishing between 9th and 24th will compete in a two-legged knock-out phase play-off to secure the rest of the 16 spots.
Former Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick is now at the helm of Barcelona, having been appointed earlier this summer. Hence, fans are excited to watch the Catalan giants face the Bavarian side after their tumultuous history in the Champions League. La Blaugrana will also face tough competition from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund and UEFA Europa League winners Atalanta.
How did Barcelona perform in the UEFA Champions League last season?
Barcelona's UEFA Champions League stint came to a disappointing end in the quarter-finals last season. They bowed out of the competition following a 6-4 aggregate loss to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
La Blaugrana faced Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Royal Antwerp in the group stage. They topped their group with 12 points from four wins and two losses against Shakhtar Donesk and Royal Antwerp.
In the Round of 16, Barca faced Serie A side Napoli securing a 4-2 win on aggregate. They drew 1-1 against Napoli in the first leg but comfortably defeated them 3-1 in the second leg. Their quarter-final qualification came after being eliminated in the group stage two consecutive times in the Champions League.
Finally, in the quarter-finals, the Catalan club faced PSg at home in the first leg, securing a 3-2 victory over the Ligue 1 giants. However, PSG pulled off a major comeback against the Catalan giants, smashing them 4-1 in the second leg (6-4 on aggregate).
Barca's unfortunate defeat came after one of their key players, Ronald Araujo, received a red card for a foul on Bradley Barcola in the second leg.