Arsenal Champions League Preview: Who Will the Gunners Face?

Arsenal finished second in the Premier League last season after an unforgettable title showdown with Manchester City, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the 20th time in their history.

Countless fans are eagerly awaiting the competition, and many are already securing their Champions League tickets through trusted marketplaces like Seatsnet.com.   

The Gunners are looking for their maiden Champions League title and will take another crack at the tournament next season in what is set to be a different competition altogether.

The new Champions League format makes the tournament a different ball game altogether, but the North Londoners will be desperate to make an impression.

Read on as we analyse which opponents Arsenal could face in their quest to bring European glory to North London.

How does the new Champions League format work?

UEFA has shelved the long-serving group format for a 36-team league battle in a single table, opening up the competition.

Clubs will play eight matches against eight teams, split evenly into four home and four away matches.

All the teams will be divided into four seeding pots and must play two clubs from each pot. One match from each pot at home and the other on the opposition ground.

As usual, a win brings three points, and a draw gets one, and the results determine the overall ranking of the league table. Teams that finish tied on points will be separated by goal difference and goal scored.

The top eight sides at the end of the first phase automatically qualify for the round of 16, while those sitting 25th-36th are out.

Teams that finish between 9th and 24th face off in a two-legged match-up for a place in the knockout rounds. 

The teams that finish 9th to 16th will be seeded to face one of the others who finish 17th to 24th (the second leg is in the seeded team’s ground).

The eight play-off winners then clash with the seeded teams that finished 1st-8th in the league standings for a place in the quarter-final, where the traditional two-legged method returns en route to the final.

Interestingly, that safety net of dropping into the Europa League is gone. Teams eliminated will not drop down into other competitions this season.

Who could Arsenal get?

The new Champions League format is complex, making it difficult to plot which teams Arsenal could face when the tournament kicks off on September 17.

Due to the UEFA coefficient rankings, Mikel Arteta’s side will be in pot 2. It is worth noting that teams from the same nation won’t be drawn against each other. This rule means Arsenal cannot play against Man City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa.

However, Arsenal’s path is fraught with some of the most dangerous teams in world football, and the North Londoners have their work cut out for them.

The Gunners will take on two teams from the seven clubs (minus Man City) in Pot 1 and another two teams from Pot two (minus Liverpool). 

There are still clubs fighting to book their places at the showpiece, and they will be in Pots 3 and 4, and the Gunners clash with two each from the Pots.

Possible pot 1 opponents 

Barcelona

Bayern Munich 

Borussia Dortmund 

Inter Milan

Paris Saint-Germain 

RB Leipzig 

Real Madrid 

Possible pot 2 opponents 

AC Milan (They could still drop into Pot 3)

Atalanta

Atletico Madrid 

Bayer Leverkusen 

Benfica

Club Brugge

Juventus 

Shakhtar Donetsk

Possible pot 3 opponents

Celtic

Feyenoord

PSV Eindhoven

Sporting CP

Potential pot 4 opponents

AS Monaco

Aston Villa

Bologna

Brest

Girona

Sturm Graz

Stuttgart

Teams that could still join the Champions League group phase

Young Boys (SUI) v Galatasaray (TUR)

Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) v Qarabag (AZE)

Midtjylland (DEN) v Slovan Bratislava (SVK)

Bodo/Glimt (NOR) v Red Star Belgrade (SER)

Malmo (SWE) v Sparta Prague (CZE)

Lille (FRA) v Slavia Prague (CZE)

Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) v Red Bull Salzburg (AUT)

Arsenal will find out their eight opponents for the revamped first stage of the tournament on August 29.

The North Londoners are also expected to learn which four teams will be coming to the Emirates Stadium and which countries they head to for this extended first phase that crosses into the new year.

Arsenal Champions League expectations for 2024/25

Arsenal returned to Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in six years last season and gave an excellent account of themselves.

The Gunners topped their group convincingly and reached the round of 16, where they defeated Portuguese giants FC Porto, setting up a clash with familiar foes in the quarter-final. 

Arsenal came up against Bayern in the last eight, a team that had humiliated them twice in recent history.

The Germans still came out on top, but Arsenal showed they had closed that gap in quality under Arteta. They showed they could hang with Europe’s heavyweights without looking out of place.

The first leg in the Emirates Stadium ended in a 2-2 draw before the Bavarians snuck over the line in the second leg through a goal from Joshua Kimmich.

Arsenal will be desperate to prove their mettle this season and go on a deeper run into the semi-finals or even the finals – this team is strong enough for that charge.

Any doubts about whether the Gunners could sustain the form they’ve shown over the past two seasons have quickly dissipated after a terrific start to the Premier League campaign.

Arsenal raised their curtains with a comfortable win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on match day one.

They never left second gear, but Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka delivered the goods as they started the season with a promising win.

Next up for the Gunners came a daunting trip to face former boss Unai Emery and his Aston Villa. Fans were wary of this clash.

Arsenal lost both home and away fixtures to the Villains last year. The defeat at the hands of Villa in April dented Arsenal’s hopes of ending their two-decade wait for a Premier League trophy.

However, the record FA Cup winners showed they are made of stronger stuff and claimed a 2-0 victory at Villa Park with goals from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey.

Impressively, they have kept two clean sheets, continuing their defensive solidity, which saw them concede the fewest goals in the English top flight last season. 

Arsenal have all the minerals to make a deep run into the Champions League and possibly win it.

They have a strong foundation built on consistent performances in recent years, and the team possesses the quality and experience to make an impact. They are serious contenders for European glory.

With this blend of talent, experience, and a winning mentality, Arsenal are well-equipped to challenge for the Champions League as they strive to write a new chapter in the club’s illustrious history.