The Champions League is back in action this January thanks to the new format featuring eight matches per team. Today, the tournament resumes with the fixtures of Matchday 7.
Midday Action Kicks Things Off
Under UEFA’s new Champions League format, implemented this season, each team now plays eight matches—four at home and four away—adding two extra matchdays compared to the previous group-stage format with four teams per group.
As a result, Matchday 7 begins today at 11:45 a.m. (Central Mexico Time) with two early games: Monaco vs. Aston Villa and Atalanta vs. Sturm Graz.
Big Showdowns in the Afternoon
The prime-time slot kicks off at 2:00 p.m. (Central Mexico Time), with seven matches scheduled to take place simultaneously.
The headline clash of the day is undoubtedly Atlético Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen, as both teams battle for a top spot in the overall standings. Atlético currently sits in 11th place with 12 points, while Leverkusen occupies 4th, holding a slim one-point advantage.
Meanwhile, Benfica will face the second-place team, Barcelona, who are on 15 points and determined to prevent any slip-ups that could allow their rivals to overtake them. Benfica, on the other hand, aims to secure their playoff spot with a strong performance.
Elsewhere, the league leaders and only undefeated team in the competition, Liverpool, will host LOSC Lille, a surprise contender sitting in 8th place and within the automatic qualification zone. The Reds boast a perfect record, holding a three-point cushion over the second-placed Barcelona. Despite this, they’ll undoubtedly aim to maintain their dominance with another win.
In the other fixtures, PSV Eindhoven will look to stay in the playoff race against Red Star Belgrade; Juventus and Club Brugge will engage in a direct battle to climb the playoff standings; Stuttgart, needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, will face already-eliminated Slovan Bratislava; and finally, Borussia Dortmund seeks to return to the automatic qualification spots as they take on Bologna, a team clinging to slim mathematical chances of making the playoffs.
