2024-25 Champions League draw reaction, odds and betting analysis: Man City 11-4 to regain Champions League crown

Manchester City are best-priced 11-4 market leaders to regain the Champions League trophy although opinion among the bookmaking community was divided following the draw for Europe's premier club competition, which has been revamped for the new season.

The new format, which sees the introduction of a 'league phase' in which 36 teams play eight matches – four at home and four away – against eight different opponents, marks the first major alteration since the 2003-04 campaign.

The Citizens, who won the Champions League in 2022-23, were the first team drawn from pot one and Uefa's AI-assisted software allocated them a home match against Inter and an away tie against PSG.

They will also face Club Brugge, Juventus, Feyenoord, Sporting, Sparta Prague and Slovan Bratislava, although the fixture order will not be released until Saturday.

Bet365 and BoyleSports reacted by shortening the Citizens from 9-4 to 2-1 in the outright market but Coral and Ladbrokes took a dimmer view of their schedule, opting to push them out to 11-4.

Champions League fixtures – dates TBC

Manchester City: Inter Milan (h), PSG (a), Club Bruges (h), Juventus (a), Feyenoord (h), Sporting Lisbon (a), Sparta Prague (h), Slovan Bratislava (a)

Liverpool: Real Madrid (h), Leipzig (a), Bayer Leverkusen (h), AC Milan (a), Lille (h), PSV (a), Bologna (h), Girona (a)

Arsenal: PSG (h), Inter Milan (a), Shakhtar Donetsk (h), Atalanta (a), Dinamo Zagreb (h), Sporting Lisbon (a), Monaco (h), Girona (a)

Celtic: Leipzig (h), Borussia Dortmund (a), Club Bruges (h), Atalanta (a), Young Boys (h), Dinamo Zagreb (a), Slovan Bratislava (h), Aston Villa (a)

Aston Villa: Bayern Munich (h), Leizpig (a), Juventus (h), Club Bruges (a), Celtic (h), Young Boys (a), Bologna (h), Monaco (a)

Liverpool, who joined City in pot one, welcome 15-time champions and holders Real Madrid to Anfield as well as German champions Bayer Leverkusen and former Anfield favourite Xabi Alonso.

New Reds boss Arne Slot, who has won his first two games in charge of the club, will also head back to his native Netherlands to face PSV Eindhoven. 

As well as a trip to Anfield, Real Madrid face home ties against Dortmund, Milan, Salzburg and Stuttgart and road visits to Atalanta, and French clubs Lille and Brest. 

Both Liverpool and Real were deemed losers by the layers, with the Reds eased to 14-1 from 12-1 and Los Blancos pushed out to 7-2 from 3-1.

Like Manchester City, Arsenal will also take on PSG, although the Gunners will be at home, and Mikel Arteta's men also face a double trip to Italy to face Inter and Europa League winners Atalanta.

The Gunners, available to back at 10-1 yesterday morning, were judged to have been handed a good draw and are now 17-2 third-favourites.

Aston Villa, who won the European Cup in 1982 and are returning to Europe's biggest stage for the first time since the following season, will face two German teams from pot one after they were drawn to face Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig.

The Villans welcome Bayern, Juventus and Bologna to Villa Park as well as Celtic, who are facing road trips to Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta. Unai Emery's Villa are 66-1 to win the Champions League with the Bhoys 250-1 shots. 

The top eight teams at the conclusion of the league phase will receive a bye to the round of 16 and the teams ranked ninth to 24th will progress to the knockout playoff round, a two-legged contest which is scheduled to take place in mid-February.

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