Champions League 24/25 Review
The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season was a landmark campaign marked by a new competition format and a historic final. Paris Saint-Germain claimed their first-ever Champions League title with a commanding 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the final held at Munich’s Allianz Arena. This emphatic win not only secured PSG’s place in European football history but also showcased a season filled with thrilling matches, dramatic moments, and a reshaped tournament structure that heightened the competition’s intensity and excitement.
League Phase
This season introduced a revamped format, replacing the traditional group stage with a league phase where 36 teams played eight matches each against different opponents in a single joint table. This change increased the total matches from 125 to 189, providing fans with more high-stakes encounters. PSG had a mixed league phase, struggling to find consistency early on, eventually finishing 15th and qualifying for the knockout playoff phase.
Meanwhile, Liverpool was the standout team as the Reds topped the table with only a single loss and eight wins. They were followed by Barcelona, Arsenal, and Inter Milan, all with 19 points. Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, and Aston Villa concluded the top 8, which were the teams that qualified directly for the Round of 16.
Playoff Round
The knockout phase playoffs were intense and featured some of the season’s most memorable games. PSG’s round of 16 tie against Liverpool was a nail-biter, with PSG losing the first leg 1-0 at home but showing resilience to win 1-0 at Anfield and then triumph on penalties, thanks largely to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s heroics.
Inter Milan’s semi-final clash with Barcelona was another highlight, ending 3-3 in the first leg and culminating in a dramatic extra-time victory for Inter, with Davide Frattesi scoring the decisive goal, finishing the tie at 7-6 on aggregate. Arsenal also impressed by ousting Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, with two identical free-kick stunners courtesy of Declan Rice.
The Final
The final saw PSG and Inter Milan advance, in a matchup that not a lot of experts predicted. While PSG only turned things on in the playoffs, Inter was generally consistent during the entire season, but mainly turned things on in the semi-finals against Barcelona.
The game itself was a showcase of PSG’s dominance and attacking prowess. From early on, PSG set the tone with Achraf Hakimi opening the scoring in the 12th minute. Goals from Doué (20′, 63′), Kvaratskhelia (73′), and Mayulu (86′) sealed a record margin of victory, 5-0, over Inter Milan.
The match was a masterclass in clinical finishing and tactical superiority, with PSG controlling the game and leaving Inter unable to respond effectively. This victory marked PSG as only the second French club to win the Champions League, following Olympique Marseille in 1993. The comprehensive nature of the win underscored PSG’s rise as a European powerhouse and ended the season on a high note for the French champions
Champions League 24/25 Best Performers
The season saw outstanding individual performances that significantly shaped the competition. Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy and Barcelona’s Raphinha finished as the joint top scorers, each netting 13 goals. Guirassy was particularly prolific in the league phase and knockout rounds, including a memorable hat-trick against Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
Raphinha impressed with key goals throughout, including a treble against Bayern Munich and crucial strikes in the knockout stages. Other notable top scorers included Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) and Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), both with 11 goals, and Inter’s Lautaro Martínez with eight goals.
In terms of assists, Raphinha also led the charts with seven assists, highlighting his all-around attacking contribution. PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé with six and Achraf Hakimi providing five assists alongside his defensive duties. Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund) and Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta) also made significant creative impacts with five assists each.
Ousmane Dembélé of PSG was named the best player of the tournament, recognised for his consistent high-level performances and crucial contributions to PSG’s title-winning campaign.
Champions League Betting Experts
If you are looking for betting experts for the best football league in the world, you are at the right place. At bettingexpert, you can find predictions for all CL matches in the new format, table, match info, and odds all in one place. Most of the games will have match previews, so you can see what’s happening between the teams and how you can use the data to your advantage. You can also find league stats regarding goals in the whole match, first/second half goals, betting markets like both teams to score, goals per minute, etc.
Champions League Betting Stats
Statistics for the Champions League are different compared to top leagues like the Bundesliga or Premier League because there are more variables you need to take into notice. Only a few teams are constantly playing in the championship which means that the goal stats will depend on who will join the CL from other leagues. This is why it would be best to look only at last year’s statistics because it’s most relevant.
Champions League FC Bayern – Harry Kane ( Muenchen ) Foto: Revierfoto
CL – Average Goal Stats
The top teams with the most goals per match will always be the lowest-ranked teams because they concede a lot of goals per match and then you can find teams like Barcelona, Liverpool, RB Leipzig and others that are top-tier. When it comes to the CL as a whole, we had over 2 goals in 83.2% of the time and over 3 goals in 51.2%. The numbers are lower compared to other seasons which can’t be said for league matches.
| Goal Stats | 0.5+ | 1.5+ | 2.5+ | 3.5+ |
|---|
| League Average | 93.6% | 83.2% | 51.2% | 31.2% |
CL – Both Teams To Score
One of the ways to see if there are clear favourites in the championship is to check the BTTS stats. For the last season, we had BTTS in 12% of the matches. This year, the number is even lower which can also mean that there aren’t enough goals being scored. This is also the reason why you should check multiple stats and then make a decision. More goals per match but fewer “both teams to score” matches means that we usually had a clear favourite.
CL – Half-Time Stats
There were some matches with a lot of goals in the first half which has one of the best odds, especially for the Champions League predictions. In more than 15% of the matches, we had over 2 goals scored. Over one goal was one of the best tips you could play on and it happened in 38.4% of the matches.
| Half-Time Goals | 0.5+ | 1.5+ | 2.5+ |
|---|
| League Average | 70.4% | 38.4% | 15.2% |
CL – Goals Per Minutes
Nowadays, matches start very slow except for some German teams that don’t calculate too much and just want to score more. Only 11.2% of the goals are scored in the first 15 minutes and last-minute goals are still the most popular which happens in 22.3% of the cases. We had 40 more goals in the second half which is 208 for the season.
Champions League Format Key Changes
Key changes include:
- Single League Phase: All 36 teams will be ranked together in a single league table.
- Eight Matches: Each team will play eight matches in this league phase, facing eight different opponents (four at home and four away).
- Seeding Pots: Teams will be initially ranked in four seeding pots. Each team will play two opponents from each pot.
- Diverse Opponents: This system ensures that teams will encounter a broader range of opponents, enhancing competition and offering fans more high-profile matchups earlier in the tournament.
Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya/(AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Champions League Tips
One thing that is different this season compared to the last one is that we have more goals considering that every top team will have at least a couple of matches with a lower-ranked club. Sometimes it will bring unexpected outcomes, but at least you can enjoy more beautiful goals. When it comes to betting tips, here are a few that you can use when betting on the Champions League:
- Teams are more reserved when they have a hard encounter in CL. Matches in domestic leagues result in less goals because of this.
- The new format came with more surprises for bettors since meats are always playing against a different team instead of standard home/away matches against 1 team. There’s a higher chance of Both Team to Score since they need to analyse each opponent from scratch.
- The more into the season we go the fewer goals we will see. If betting on goals is your thing, the first 8 matchdays are the best options.
Champions League Past Winners
Real Madrid showed grit last season as they managed to capture their 14 Champions League trophy. They managed to improve their ranking on AC Milan (seven titles) and showed that they are absolute specialists when it comes to this competition.
2024/25Paris Saint Germain
| Season | Winner |
|---|
| 2023/24 | Real Madrid |
| 2022/23 | Manchester City |
| 2021/22 | Real Madrid |
| 2020/21 | Chelsea |
| 2019/20 | Bayern Munich |
Champions League Top Goalscorers
To get the best out of our Champions League predictions, we also turn to some of the best individual performances that certain players have had in previous years.
| Season | Best Goalscorer | Club | Goals |
|---|
| 2023/24 | Harry Kane/Kylian Mbappe | Bayern/PSG | 8 |
| 2022/23 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | >12 |
| 2021/22 | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | 15 |
| 2020/21 | Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund | 10 |
| 2019/20 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 15 |
| 2018/19 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 12 |
⚽ Bookmakers for Champions League Betting
Finding the right bookmaker for your Champions League betting is about more than just odds—it’s about the overall experience. Look for a bookmaker that offers a wide range of odds, diverse betting markets, in-play betting options, and exciting promotions.
Here, you can explore various Champions League offers to find the one that fits your preferences. Take your time to evaluate each option and choose the bookmaker that enhances your betting experience.
🔥 Why These Bookmakers?
Our reviews focus on top-rated bookmakers offering competitive odds, exclusive Champions League promotions, and a seamless betting experience.
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Star ratings are based on our personal opinion of the bookmakers we work with. Customer feedback also influences our rankings.
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