a first Monaco-Barça clash, two matches between former winners… The first day in detail

The 36 clubs involved will play the first day of the new version of the Champions League, from September 17 to 19.

The big star-studded evenings are back. The 2024-2025 Champions League, which is launching its new format, kicks off on Tuesday, September 17 with twelve clubs on the pitches across Europe. For this first day of 18 matches, exceptionally spread over three days until Thursday, four French clubs, a first in history, are in the running with several enticing matches.

Lille face Sporting to launch the adventure

The last to have booked their ticket for the C1, Lille are the first French players involved on Tuesday, with the trip to the Sporting pitch in Lisbon (at 9 p.m. on Canal+). Bruno Génésio’s men will have to be wary of the 2023-2024 Portuguese champion, current leader of the standings and still undefeated in the championship.

Against Girona, a smooth start for PSG

Before battling it out with Bayern Munich and Manchester City, PSG begins its 13th consecutive Champions League campaign at the Parc des Princes by hosting Girona (Wednesday, at 9 p.m. on Canal+). A hit of the 2023-2024 Liga season, the Catalan club, which will discover the C1, is a more than approachable opponent on paper for the capital club.

Monaco-Barcelona, ​​the first clash

Among the four French clubs, it is the Monegasques who will have the hardest work to do on this first day. The players of the Rock host FC Barcelona (Thursday, at 9 p.m. on Canal+ Foot), author of a flawless start to the season and driven by a fiery attack, with 17 goals already scored in five games.

Big first for Brest against Sturm Graz

At the Roudourou stadium in Guingamp, Stade Brestois will experience the thrill of the Champions League anthem. For the first match in their history in C1, against the Austrian championship leader Sturm Graz (Thursday, at 9 p.m. on Canal+ Sport 360), the Bretons can dream of a first victory that would launch them in the best possible way.

The posters: Milan-Liverpool and City-Inter, duels of former champions

In the other matches of the day, two clashes between former winners of the competition attract attention. On Tuesday evening, AC Milan will host Liverpool (at 9 p.m. on Canal+ Sport) in the remake of the 2005 final that remains in the memory. After a difficult start to the season (only one victory in four matches in Serie A), the Milanese will want to recover against the Reds who have just conceded their first defeat of the season, at home against Nottingham Forest. On Wednesday, the other Lombard club, Inter, will travel to Manchester City (at 9 p.m. on Canal+ Foot) in another remake, this time of the 2023 final.