Date: 29th July 2024 at 2:24pm
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Alongside many of the normal powerhouse clubs, a raft of unusual names are set to feature in the new-look Champions League in 2024-25. In Aston Villa, Stuttgart, Brest, and Girona, the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and La Liga are sending clubs with little to no Champions League experience.

Stuttgart are in the Champions League for the first time since 2009-10, and this is only their fourth appearance since 1992-93. Villa haven’t played in the competition since they were European Cup holders in 1982-83. Neither Brest nor Girona have ever competed in continental competition.

Paddy Power, a bookmaker with consistently competitive odds, will not be pricing any of these teams among the favourites in Champions League winner odds, despite their respective success in 2023-24. Villa made the semi-final of the Conference League last season, while Stuttgart last appeared in an UEFA competition when they were knocked out in the Europa League qualifying phase in 2013.

Expert Champions League tips at Paddy Power will consider a variety of factors when predicting how these teams get on in Europe’s premier club competition.

All of this quartet will be stretched by the demands of the Champions League. Their schedule will be busier than before, and the quality of opponents is something none of them are accustomed to. Villa had some practice with AZ Alkmaar, Ajax, Lille, and Olympiacos in the Conference League, but there will be much sterner tests in the Champions League, particularly with their seeding.

Challenges Of Champions League Footall

The players will be forced to play more minutes at high intensity. Managers will face questions about squad rotation. This is also a chance for Unai Emery, Sebastian Hoeneß, Eric Roy, and Michel to go up against some of the world’s best in their profession.

Four lesser-fancied teams qualifying for Europe’s premier competition feels like an anomaly rather than a meaningful trend. If anything, the gap between the top teams and the rest seems to be growing. Ironically, the Champions League and its associated riches are part of the reason for that. At least these four clubs now have a chance to bridge that gap in the short-term, but it is a huge ask for any of these teams to qualify for the Champions League again next season while dealing with the rigours of regular midweek football.

Tottenham, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Manchester United will all be stronger in the Premier League. Athletic Club and Real Sociedad will be eyeing a top four spot in La Liga. In Germany, Borussia Dortmund should be a force after bringing in Nuri Şahin to replace Edin Terzic. Brest overachieved their expected goals last season and will struggle to outperform Marseille and Nice again.

Positives To Fresh Champions League Faces

This might not be a signal of what’s to come in the second half of this decade, but it’s at least an interesting quirk that all four of these teams qualified in the same year. Bologna could be added to this group, though they placed fifth and snuck in with one of the two European Performance Spots.

Some have questioned whether the Champions League is growing stale, with the same teams competing year after year. And it’s true, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and PSG will again be among the favourites when the knockout rounds begin in 2025. But, at least, an injection of some fresh blood from Europe’s top-five leagues gives fans some new teams and players to watch on Tuesday and Wednesday nights through the winter months.

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