UEFA Champions League
Introduction to UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League, also known as the Champions League, is a continental football competition taking place between various football clubs. This annual competition is regulated by UEFA i.e. the Union of European Football Associations. UEFA Champions League is considered to be the most prestigious event in European Football as well as one of the most prestigious football competitions across the globe.
UEFA Champions League 2014- 15 was the 60th season of this prestigious game. A total of 96 matches were played among the participating clubs, with Real Madrid emerging as the current title holders. The 2015 UEFA Champions League final is scheduled to be played in Berlin, Germany at the Olympiastadion.
Clubs
32 participating clubs in UEFA Champions League 2014- 15 are divided into 8 groups, with each group consisting of 4 clubs each.
Group A:
Atletico de Madrid:
Also known as Atletico, it is a professional Spanish football club which originated in the city of Madrid. This club is a regular participant in the La Liga, where they are also the present champions. Top 5 players this season include Miguel Angel Moya, Diego Godin, Guilherme Siqueira, Mario Suarez and Tiago Mendes.
Juventus:
Based in Turin, Piedmont, Juventus FC is a professional Italian football club which is also the 3rd- oldest football club in Italy. This club also holds the record of spending a major part of its history in the top Flight First Division, also known as the Serie A. Prominent players of this club include Gianluigi Buffon, Romulo, Giorgio Chiellini, Martin Caceres and Angelo Ogbonna. .
Olympiacos FC:
It is a professional Greek football club based in Piraeus. This club is a part of Olympiacos CFP, a famous multi- sport club in Piraeus. Olympiacos is said to be the most successful Greek football club of all times. Few of the prominent players of Olympiacos are Giannis Maniatis, Alberto Botia, Luka Milivojevic, Ibrahim Afellay and Konstantinos Mitroglou.
Malmo FF:
Also known as Malmö Fotbollförening or MFF locally, it is a professional Swedish football association based in Malmo. In terms of the number of trophies won, Malmo FF is definitely the most popular Swedish football club of all time. Some of the prominent players of Malmo FF include Anton Tinnerholm, Filip Helander, Erdal Rakip, Oscar Lewicki and Simon Kroon.
Group B:
Real Madrid CF:
Based in Madrid, Spain, Real Madrid CF is one of the most popular professional football clubs today. With an array of long- lasting rivalries, Real Madrid CF is the only European football club which is being managed as well as owned by its members since its creation. Prominent players of Real Madrid FC include Iker Casillas, Raphael Varane, Pepe, Sergio Ramos and Fabio Coentao.
FC Basel 1893:
Based in Basel, this is a professional Swiss football club. After winning the Swiss Super League 17 times, FC Basel 1893 has become the most successful Swiss football club of all times. Some of the important players of this club are Tomas Vaclik, Adama Traore, Phillip Degen, Arlind Ajeti and Walter Samuel.
Liverpool FC:
This football club plays in the Premier League and is based in Liverpool. Having won more European trophies than any other English football club, Liverpool FC is the most successful professional football club in England. Important Liverpool FC players include Brad Jones, Glen Johnson, Jose Enrique, Kolo Toure and Dejan Lovren.
PFC Ludogorets Razgrad:
Also known as Ludogorets, it is a Bulgarian professional football club based in Razgrad. This club currently competes in Bulgarian Football League System’s top division, known as A Group. Prominent players are Alexandre Barthe, Mihail Aleksandrov, Fabio Espinh, Roman Bezjak and Sebastian Hernandez.
Group C:
AS Monaco FC:
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club is a professional football club based in Monaco. This club is registered in France and contests in French football’s top tier, known as Ligue 1. Top 5 players of AS Monaco FC include Danijel Subasic, Fabinho, Layvin Kurzawa, Aymen Abdennour and Ricardo Carvalho.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen:
Based in North- Rhine Westphalia’s city of Leverkusen, Bayer is a German professional football club. This club is an all- time participant in the German Football League system, known as Bundesliga. Popular players include Bernd Leno, Stefan Reinartz, Emir Spahic, Simon Rolfes and Hueng Min Son.
FC Zenit:
Also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg, it is a professional Russian football club which won the Russian Premier League in 2007, 2010, 2011- 12. This club is based in Saint Petersburg city and some of its important players are Yury Lodygin, Aleksandr Anyukov, Domenico Criscito, Aleksandr Ryazantsev and Nicolas Lombaerts.
SL Benfica:
Sport Lisboa e Benfica is a professional Portuguese sports club with its roots in Portugal’s city of Lisbon. This club is an all- time participant in the Portuguese Football League System and is also the current champion of this league. Some important players of this league include Artur, Lisandro Lopez, Steven Vitoria, Luisao and Ljubomir Fejsa.
Group D:
Borussia Dortmund:
This is a professional German sports club based in North- Rhine Westphalia’s Dortmund region. By membership, it is the 3rd- largest sports club in Germany and plays in German Football League system’s top tier, Bundesliga. Few crucial players are Roman Weidenfeller, Neven Subotic, Sebastian Kehl, Sven Bender and Shinji Kagawa.
Arsenal FC:
A current participant in the Premier League, Arsenal FC is a football club based in London’s Holloway. Arsenal FC is one of the most successful clubs in English football and few of their important players are Wojciech Szczesny, Mathieu Debuchy, Kieran Gibbs, Per Mertesacker and Gabriel.
RSC Anderlecht:
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht is a professional Belgian football club based in Anderlecht in Brussels- Capital region. A participant in the Belgian Pro football league, this is the most successful Belgian football team that ever played in European tournaments. Some important players of RSC Anderlecht include Silvio Proto, Fabrice N’Sakala, Olivier Deschacht, Andy Najar and Matias Suarez.
Galatasaray AS:
It is a professional Turkish football club based in the Turkish city of Istanbul. Some of the important players of this football club are Fernando Muslera, Felipe Melo, Hamit Altintop, Gokhan Zan and Blerim Dzemaili.
Group E:
FC Bayern Munchen:
This is a professional German sports club originating in Munich, Bavaria. This club plays in German Football League system’s top tier, known as Bundesliga. It is the most successful German football club having won 17 national cups as well as 24 national titles. Prominent players are Manuel Neuer, Xabi Alonso, Dante, Mehdi Benatia and Thiago Alcantara.
Manchester City FC:
Based in Manchester, England, this is a professional football club which participates in the Premier League. Having won various titles including the League Cup in 2014, FA Cup in 2011 and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League the same year, this team also won the Premier League title in 2012. Prominent players of Manchester United FC include Joe Hart, Bacary Sagna, Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta and Fernando.
AS Roma:
Associazione Sportiva Roma is an Italian professional football team based in Rome. Since their inception, this club has played in the Italian Football League’s top- tier. Some of the important players of this club are Bogdan Lobont, Mapou Yanga- Mbiwa, Ashley Cole, Radja Nianggolan and Leandro Castan.
PFC CSKA Moskva (Moscow):
Based in Russia’s capital city Moscow, it is a professional Russian football club. This club won the UEFA Cup in 2004- 05 as well as 5 Russian Premier League titles. Top 5 players of this football club are Sergei Chepchugov, Mario Fernandes, Pontus Wernbloom, Sergei Ignashevich and Aleksei Berezutski.
Group F:
FC Barcelona:
This is a professional Spanish football club based in Barcelona, Spain. FC Barcelona holds the record of being the “2nd most valuable sports team in the world” as well as “world’s 4th richest football club”. Few important players of this club are Lionel Messi, Neymar, Pedro Rodriguez, Javier Mascherano and Luis Suarez.
Paris Saint- Germain:
This professional association football club is based in the city of Paris in France. This club was founded in the year 1940 and is a merger of Stade Saint- Germain as well as Paris FC football clubs. It is the 3rd most successful football club in France. Few of its prominent players are Maxwell, Lucas, Javier Pastore, David Luiz and Thiago Silva.
AFC Ajax:
This is a professional Dutch football club based in Amsterdam. Having won various titles, AFC Ajax is one among the “Big Three” football clubs in the Dutch League. Few important players of AFC Ajax club are Jasper Cillessen, Robert Muric, Thulani Serero and Niklas Moisander.
APOEL FC:
It is a professional football club based in the city of Nicosia in Cyprus. The Cyprus Football Association was founded by this club along with other clubs. Main players of this football club include Kaka, Tomas de Vincenti, Carlao and Gustavo Manduca.
Group G:
Chelsea FC:
Based in London, Chelsea FC is a professional football club. This club plays in the Premier League and has played most of its matches in the English League’s top- tier. Some of the prominent players of Chelsea FC include Oscar, Mohamed Salah, Diego Costa, Willian and Ramires.
FC Schalke 04:
Also known as S04, it is a German professional association football club as well as also a multi- sports club. Important players include Felipe Santana, Dennis Aogo, Kaan Ayhan and Benedikt Howedes.
Sporting Clube de Portugal:
It is a professional Portuguese multi- sports club based in the city of Lisbon in Portugal. Although this club plays various sports, but its success as an association football club has been highly appreciable. Some of the important players are Jefferson, Jonathan Silva, Diego Capel, Rui Patricio and Marcelo Boeck.
NK Maribor:
Nogometni Klub Maribor is a professional football club based in Slovenia’s Maribor. It is the most successful football club in the country and has won various titles as well. Some of the influential players of this football team are Marcos Tavares, Arghus, Aljaz Cotman and Erik Janza.
Group H:
FC Porto:
This is a Portuguese professional sports club based in the city of Porto. This club is famous for its football team, which plays in Portuguese Football League system’s top- tier, known as Primiera Liga. Few prominent players of this club include Helton, Bruno Martins Indi, Otavio as well as Diego Reyes.
FC Shakhtar Donetsk:
This professional football club is based in the Ukrainian Donetsk city. Having appeared in various European tournaments, this club often participates in the UEFA Champions League as well. Noted players include Darijo Srna, Luiz Adriano, Dentinho, Fernando as well as Bernard among others.
Athletic Club:
Also known as Athletic Bilbao, this is a professional football club based in Bilbao, Basque. Locally this club is also known as “the Lions”. It has won various titles both domestically as well as internationally. Some of the important players of this football club include Carlos Gurpegi, Andoni Iraola, Gorka Iraizoz, Lago Herrerin and Aymeric Laporte.
FC BATE Borisov:
Based in the city of Barysaw, FC BATE Borisov is a professional Belarusian football club. It is the only Belarusian football club to have reached the Group Stage in UEFA Champions League. Some important players of this team include Dzmitry Likhtarovich, Vital Hayduchyk, Syarhey Chernik and Filip Mladenovic.
Top sports betting sites for UEFA Champions League
Top 5 players of UEFA Champions League
- Lionel Messi (Argentina, FC Barcelona)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid CF)
- Diego Costa (Spain, Chelsea FC)
- Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid CF, Argentina)
- James Rodriguez (Colombia, Real Madrid CF)
Game format
Qualification
There are 3 qualifying rounds along with a play- off stage. In these matches, all clubs are supposed to play 2 matches against each other on the basis of away and home. Clubs that score the greatest average of goals are qualified to enter the next round. In case of a draw, penalties and away- goals are considered to determine a winner.
Group Stage
22 automatic entrees are joined by 5 teams from best- placed path and 5 teams from Champions path, thus forming a 32- team stage. These clubs are them split into 8 groups with 4 teams each. Then there are home and away matches played between these clubs in order to decide the two teams from each group that reach the knockout round. 3rd place finishers from each group find a place in the UEFA Europe League round of 32.
Knock- out phase
Starting from last 16 to the semi- finals, all clubs play 2 home and away matches against each other.
Final
A single match is played between the two qualifying teams from the semi- finals.
Awards & Trophies
Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the trophy for being the “best player in Europe” for his performance in UEFA Champions League 2014.
Every year, the European Champion’s Club Cup is awarded to the team that wins the UEFA Champions League. In case any participating team wins the Champion’s League in a row for 3 years or overall 5 times, then the winning team gets to keep its very own replica of the original European Champion’s Club Cup. So far, there are 5 football clubs who have got their very own replica of this cup. These clubs are Milan, Liverpool, Ajax, Madrid as well as Bayern Munich.
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