The UEFA Champions League continues with Matchday 1 league phase play on Wednesday, Sept. 18 and one of the matchups is a contest between Bologna and Shakhtar at Renato Dall’Ara in Bologna, Italy. This is the first year with the new league phase format instead of a Group Stage at the UEFA Champions League, along with the other UEFA tournaments. Starting with the 2024-25 competition, the tournament increases to 36 teams instead of 32, with each team playing eight matches against two teams from each the four seeding groups. It will also feature a playoff phase that includes 16 teams fighting for the final eight spots in the knockout phase, which starts in the Round of 16. The top eight in the table are automatically placed in the Round of 16 while ninth through 24th compete in the playoff, with the bottom 12 teams being eliminated.
When Matchday 2 comes around in early October, Shakhtar will take on Atalanta and Bologna will face Liverpool.
UEFA Champions League: A New Era
The new Champions League format kicks off this week after more than six years of planning, one failed proposal and one Super League launch fiasco. In the end, storied clubs who pushed for change from UEFA and created turmoil in European soccer got most of what they wanted: More teams, more games and more of them against strong opponents, more money.
Now there are 36 teams instead of 32, each playing eight games instead of six, against eight different opponents instead of three. Ultimately, all 36 teams will be ranked from top to bottom in a single league standings that finishes in January instead of traditional four-team groups that would end in December.
UEFA has cleared its midweek schedule to relaunch the marquee club event over back-to-back-to-back nights – six games each through Thursday.
UEFA Champions League Matchday 1: A Look at the Key Games
The new era starts with two 1645 GMT early kickoffs featuring three European Cup winners from the 1980s — Juventus (1985) hosts PSV Eindhoven (1988) and Aston Villa (1982) travels to Young Boys. Both are first-time fixtures between the teams.
Also playing are the four teams with the most European Cup and Champions League titles in their 70-season history. While Madrid plays Stuttgart, six-time winner Bayern hosts Dinamo Zagreb looking to extend a 40-game, seven-year unbeaten run in group stages. The standout pairing is AC Milan against Liverpool at San Siro. Milan won the last of its seven European titles in the 2007 final against Liverpool. That was a rematch of the 2005 “Miracle of Istanbul” final when Liverpool rallied from 3-0 down at half time to win the fifth of its six titles.
A more recent rematch of another Istanbul final features the current champions of England and Italy. Manchester City, riding Erling Haaland’s hot start to the season, hosts an Inter Milan it beat 1-0 in the 2023 final and is unbeaten in Champions League home games for six years.
It is also a night for fresh faces. Girona, which is in the same Abu Dhabi-backed ownership group as Man City, will make its European debut at Paris Saint-Germain.
Bologna hosts Shakhtar Donetsk in its first game in the competition since a preliminary round exit 60 years ago. Bologna still plays in the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara that has been its home since 1927 and staged games at the 1934 World Cup.
Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk: A Look at the Teams and Their Current Form
Bologna will start its path in the UEFA Champions League when facing Shakhtar in the first date of this new version of the tournament, a team of Bologna, in Serie A is in one of the lower parts of the overall table, is in 17th position with only 3 points and a record of 0 wins, 3 draws and a loss, thus comes Bologna to this match that promises to be one of the best tomorrow.
For its part Shakhtar comes with the intention of being the big surprise in this UEFA Champions League, its first objective will be to visit Bologna in a match that promises to have a lot of intensity, goals and emotions, in its local league is in 7th position with 9 points and a record of 3 games won, 0 draws and 2 lost games, so the two teams come to this meeting that promises to be very entertaining in this start of the UEFA Champions League.
Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk: Key Players to Watch
For this match the players to follow for Bologna will be striker Benjamin Dominguez, who will debut with Bologna in this season of the UEFA Champions League with the intention of scoring and help his team to win, while for Shakhtar the player to follow will be Pedrinho who has played in the local tournament with 5 games, one goal scored and 2 assists, being one of the best for the Ukrainian team, these are the two players who will be followed tomorrow in this very important match.
Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk: Prediction
Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk: How to Watch the Match
Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk: A Must-Watch Match
The match between Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk promises to be a thrilling encounter. With both teams eager to make a statement in the new Champions League format, expect a high-intensity game with plenty of goals and excitement. Don't miss out on this clash of styles, which is sure to be a memorable one.
Final Thoughts
The UEFA Champions League is back, and it's bigger and better than ever. With the new format, fans are in for a treat as they witness some of the world's best teams battle it out for glory. This new era of the Champions League promises to be a thrilling ride, and we're excited to see what unfolds over the coming months. Stay tuned for more updates and analysis as the tournament progresses.
