UEFA Youth League UEFA Champions League path: Inter, Sporting, Salzburg among teams through
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Article summary
After Matchday 5, 12 teams were through from the new-look league phase to the round of 32 with 13 teams in contention for the remaining ten spots on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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The UEFA Youth League UEFA Champions League path league phase is complete.
Under the new format, the top 22 clubs after the six matchdays progress to the round of 32. The clubs ranked 1 to 6 (Champions League path) will play against the clubs ranked 17 to 22. The clubs ranked 7 to 16 will face the ten clubs that qualify via the domestic champions path. The round of 32 draw is at 12:00 CET on Friday 20 December.
State of play after Matchday 5
Through to round of 32: Inter, Sporting CP, Salzburg, Atalanta, Barcelona, Stuttgart, Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk, Manchester City, Girona, Celtic, Real Madrid
Unable to reach round of 32: PSV Eindhoven, Young Boys, Club Brugge, Leipzig, Arsenal, Bologna, Crvena Zvezda, Slovan Bratislava, Brest, Sparta Praha, Feyenoord
Inter's 1-0 win at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday means they top the league table on 18 points. They are only the fourth team to got through the league phase or old group stage with six wins after Chelsea (2013/14), Manchester City (2014/15) and Real Madrid (2014/15).
In total, 12 teams went through to the round of 32 with a game to spare. Two points behind Inter before Matchday 6 and still unbeaten were Sporting CP and Salzburg after their own victories, while remaining one further back were Atalanta, who recovered from two down to win 4-2 at Young Boys courtesy of a Lorenzo Riccio hat-trick, and two-time champions Barcelona.
Also through on ten points were Stuttgart, Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk, one ahead of the remaining qualified teams with a match to go: Manchester City, unbeaten debutants Girona, Celtic and Real Madrid, who have now got past the group stage or league phase in all 11 editions.
Elsewhere on Matchday 5, last season's runners-up AC Milan secured their first win of the league phase, 3-2 at Slovan Bratislava, to stay in touch with the qualifying positions. Milan were among the 13 teams who were still in contention for the remaining ten round of 32 slots from this path before Matchday 6.
Meanwhile, Inter were also assured for a place in the top six with a game to go, meaning seeding and a home tie in the round of 32. That was also the aim for every other team already qualified on Matchday 6.
All kick-off times CET, may be subject to change.
League phase matches
Matchday 6
Wednesday 11 December
Benfica 3-0 Bologna
LOSC Lille 1-1 Sturm Graz
Atlético de Madrid 5-0 Slovan Bratislava
Arsenal 2-0 Monaco
Juventus 1-1 Manchester City
AC Milan 1-3 Crvena Zvezda
Feyenoord 3-0 Sparta Praha
Stuttgart 2-1 Young Boys
Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Barcelona
Tuesday 10 December
Shakhtar Donetsk 0-2 Bayern München
Girona 2-2 Liverpool
GNK Dinamo 2-1 Celtic
Brest 1-3 PSV Eindhoven
Bayer Leverkusen 0-1 Inter
Club Brugge 0-1 Sporting CP
Salzburg 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Leipzig 3-4 Aston Villa
Atalanta 0-4 Real Madrid
Matchday 5
Wednesday 27 November
Crvena Zvezda 1-1 Stuttgart
Celtic 1-0 Club Brugge
Sturm Graz 0-0 Girona
Aston Villa 0-2 Juventus
GNK Dinamo 0-0 Borussia Dortmund
PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Monaco 1-0 Benfica
Bologna 2-2 LOSC Lille
Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid
Tuesday 26 November
Sparta Praha 1-2 Atlético de Madrid
Slovan Bratislava 2-3 AC Milan
Sporting CP 3-0 Arsenal
Bayer Leverkusen 0-1 Salzburg
Young Boys 2-4 Atalanta
Inter 3-2 Leipzig
Barcelona 2-0 Brest
Bayern München 2-5 Paris Saint-Germain
Manchester City 6-1 Feyenoord
Matchday 4
Wednesday 6 November
Shakhtar Donetsk 3-2 Young Boys
Sparta Praha 1-1 Brest
Club Brugge 2-6 Aston Villa
Feyenoord 2-2 Salzburg
Inter 4-1 Arsenal
Crvena Zvezda 1-2 Barcelona
Stuttgart 4-1 Atalanta
Paris Saint-Germain 4-2 Atlético de Madrid
Bayern München 3-3 Benfica
Tuesday 5 November
Slovan Bratislava 2-2 GNK Dinamo
PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Girona
Sporting CP 2-0 Manchester City
Bologna 0-0 Monaco
Celtic 3-2 Leipzig
Liverpool 4-1 Bayer Leverkusen
LOSC Lille 0-0 Juventus
Real Madrid 2-1 AC Milan
Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Sturm Graz
Matchday 3
Wednesday 23 October
Brest 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Benfica 2-0 Feyenoord
Atalanta 2-1 Celtic
Young Boys 2-3 Inter
Salzburg 3-2 GNK Dinamo
Leipzig 3-1 Liverpool
Manchester City 3-0 Sparta Praha
Atlético de Madrid 1-1 LOSC Lille
Barcelona 3-1 Bayern München
Tuesday 22 October
Monaco 1-1 Crvena Zvezda
AC Milan 1-1 Club Brugge
Arsenal 0-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Aston Villa 3-1 Bologna
Paris Saint-Germain 3-3 PSV Eindhoven
Juventus 2-3 Stuttgart
Girona 2-2 Slovan Bratislava
Real Madrid 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
Sturm Graz 1-3 Sporting CP
Matchday 2
Wednesday 2 October
Shakhtar Donetsk 0-3 Atalanta
Girona 2-0 Feyenoord
Aston Villa 0-1 Bayern München
GNK Dinamo 1-0 Monaco
Liverpool 2-1 Bologna
LOSC Lille 2-1 Real Madrid
Leipzig 0-3 Juventus
Sturm Graz 1-1 Club Brugge
Benfica 2-2 Atlético de Madrid
Tuesday 1 October
Stuttgart 3-0 Sparta Praha
Salzburg 5-1 Brest
Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 AC Milan
PSV Eindhoven 0-2 Sporting CP
Slovan Bratislava 0-4 Manchester City
Inter 4-0 Crvena Zvezda
Arsenal 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain
Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Celtic
Barcelona 4-2 Young Boys
Matchday 1
Thursday 19 September
Crvena Zvezda 1-2 Benfica
Feyenoord 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Brest 1-4 Sturm Graz
Atalanta 4-1 Arsenal
Monaco 4-3 Barcelona
Atlético de Madrid 4-0 Leipzig
Bologna 3-4 Shakhtar Donetsk
Wednesday 18 September
Sparta Praha 2-3 Salzburg
Paris Saint-Germain 0-2 Girona
Celtic 4-0 Slovan Bratislava
Club Brugge 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
Manchester City 2-4 Inter
Tuesday 17 September
Young Boys 2-1 Aston Villa
Juventus 1-0 PSV Eindhoven
Sporting CP 2-2 LOSC Lille
AC Milan 0-0 Liverpool
Bayern München 2-1 GNK Dinamo
Real Madrid 1-0 Stuttgart
League phase: What happens if teams are level on points?
If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the league phase matches then, as per paragraph 16.01 of the competition regulations, the following criteria are applied, in this order, to determine their rankings:
a. Superior goal difference in the league phase
b. Higher number of goals scored in the league phase
c. Higher number of away goals scored in the league phase
d. Higher number of wins in the league phase
e. Higher number of away wins in the league phase
f. Higher number of points obtained collectively by league phase opponents
g. Superior collective goal difference of league phase opponents
h. Higher number of goals scored collectively by league phase opponents
i. Lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all league phase matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points)
j. Drawing of lots
Between Matchday 1 and Matchday 5, teams that are level on points will be separated using the following criteria:
a. Superior goal difference in the league phase
b. Higher number of goals scored in the league phase
c. Higher number of away goals scored in the league phase
d. Higher number of wins in the league phase
e. Higher number of away wins in the league phase
If teams are still equal in all aspects with the application of these criteria, they will be given equal ranking in the table, ordered alphabetically based on their abbreviated name.
Team guide
• Past champions involved in this path were joint-record two-time winners Barcelona plus Benfica, Real Madrid and Salzburg.
• Last season's beaten finalists AC Milan took part along with past runners-up Paris Saint-Germain and Shakhtar Donetsk.
• Atlético, Barcelona, Bayern, Benfica, Manchester City, Paris and Real Madrid maintained their perfect record of having entered all 11 editions of this competition, which began in 2013/14 (the 2020/21 edition was cancelled).
• Real Madrid and Atlético both got through the former group stage in all 11 seasons.
• France and Germany now share the record for having the number of different entrants at 14 due to debuts for Brest (as well as Domestic Champions path contenders Auxerre) and Stuttgart.
• Along with Brest and Stuttgart, also making their competition debuts in this path are Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona and Sturm Graz.
New format
The UEFA Youth League has a new format for its 11th edition, adapting to the format change of the senior UEFA club competitions, meaning a larger entry than ever before in 2024/25.
As before, the contenders are split into two paths, the UEFA Champions League path and the Domestic Champions path, both of which are played through the rest of the year, before they come together for the knockout phase in 2025. Holders Olympiacos are in the knockout Domestic Champions path.
The UEFA Champions League path includes the 36 youth teams of the clubs that have qualified for the league phase of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. The league stage will mirror the Champions League league phase but is limited to the first six matchdays, with the same matches played in both competitions (three at home and three away).
The top 22 clubs after the six matchdays progress to the round of 32. The clubs ranked 1 to 6 (Champions League path) will play against the clubs ranked 17 to 22. The clubs ranked 7 to 16 will face the ten clubs that qualify via the domestic champions path.
A further open draw will be held for the round of 16 onwards. The tournament will, as before, conclude with a final four (semi-finals and final) played at the traditional venue of Colovray Sports Centre in Nyon, Switzerland.
Knockout draw and match dates
Round of 32 draw: 20 December, Nyon
Round of 32: 11/12 February
Knockout draw (round of 16 onwards): 14 February, Nyon
Round of 16: 4/5 March
Quarter-finals: 1/2 April
Semi-finals: 25 April (Colovray Sports Centre, Nyon)
Final: 28 April (Colovray Sports Centre, Nyon)
