UEFA Champions League Review: Mid-term Evaluations (Part 1: Winners)
By: Anthony Tazbaz
Image Credit: Janosch Diggelmann
Last week — on Tuesday, November 26 and Wednesday, November 27 — 36 clubs competed in their fifth UEFA Champions League (UCL) matches of the 2024-25 season. The UCL’s fifth matchday signifies that we are slightly beyond the half-way point of the novel 8-match league stage in a newly formatted competition. (For more information about the competition’s format, see our article on the topic.) The league stage replaced the conventional six-match group stage.
Consequently, the top eight clubs in the UCL league stage table (UCL table) will automatically advance to the UCL round of 16, with clubs placed from ninth to 24th will play in a two-legged playoff series; the eight winners will advance to the round of 16. Clubs placed from 25th to 36th will suffer elimination from the competition; clubs no longer experience relegation to the UEFA Europa League.
That said, it is time to evaluate the top three winners and top three losers of the 2024-25 UCL season thus far. We determined the winners and losers based on clubs’ performances and their chances of advancing to the knockout stage. Part 1 of this series includes includes our three winners; part 2 will be released next week and will comprise our three losers.
Unless indicated otherwise, all information was collected from the 2024-25 UCL matches and table.
#1: Liverpool FC
Past 2024-25 UCL Results:
Matchday 1: AC Milan 1-3 Liverpool FC — San Siro, Milan
Matchday 2: Liverpool FC 2-0 Bologna FC — Anfield, Liverpool
Matchday 3: RB Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool FC — Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
Matchday 4: Liverpool FC 4-0 Bayer Leverkusen — Anfield, Liverpool
Matchday 5: Liverpool FC 2-0 Real Madrid — Anfield, Liverpool
Overall, Liverpool remain the only club with a perfect UCL record — five wins, zero losses and zero draws — having scored ten goals and conceding only one goal throughout those four matches; the lone goal occurred three minutes into their opening match. In this competition, Liverpool have not conceded a goal for 447+ consecutive minutes.
However, Liverpool’s run is most impressive due to their turnaround season in 2023-24 and their consequent return into UCL, having missed out on last season’s edition after a mediocre 2022-23 EPL campaign. Furthermore, despite a change in personnel with current Liverpool manager Arne Slot replacing the charismatic gaffer Jürgen Klopp, the northern England-based club has been arguably the best performing club since the start of the 2024-25 season.
The final three opponents — La Liga club Girona FC, Ligue 1 club LOSC Lille and Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven (PSV) — are all ranked below the top 13 clubs in the UCL table. Lille, ranked 14th, may be Liverpool’s most difficult challenge, whereas Girona FC are currently in 29th place, and have struggled to regain their emphatic form from the 2023-24 season. By the time Liverpool duel against PSV on the final matchday, Liverpool may already clinch first place, or at least a top-eight position to qualify for that competition’s round of 16.
#2: Inter Milan
Past 2024-25 UCL Results:
Matchday 1: Manchester City 0-0 Inter Milan — Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Matchday 2: Inter Milan 4-0 Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) — San Siro, Milan
Matchday 3: BSC Young Boys 0-1 Inter Milan — Wankdorf Stadion, Bern
Matchday 4: Inter Milan 1-0 Arsenal FC — San Siro, Milan
Matchday 5: Inter Milan 1-0 RB Leipzig — San Siro, Milan
Second on our list is second-place Inter Milan, which have accumulated 13 points in UCL action. In five matches, I Nerazzuri garnered four wins and one draw, with those four wins occurring in their last four matches. Inter’s campaign so far represents one of sound defending and opportunistic attacking, with their last three matches resulting in 1-0 wins.
Their most impressive feature, however, is their ability to have not conceded a single goal throughout their five matches. On the road, Inter held City scoreless, and earned a close win against Swiss Super League club BSC Young Boys. At home, a decisive win against Red Star Belgrade and tight wins against EPL heavyweights Arsenal and Bundesliga title hopefuls RB Leipzig earned Inter their current ranking. That said, one can also argue that Inter may have experienced the most difficult schedule among all participating clubs.
Although this sequence of triumphant contests is a culmination of effective team effort, Inter’s defenders and its goalkeeper — former Swiss international Yann Sommer — merit a sizeable chunk of the team’s credit.
On matchday 6, Inter will play an away match against 2023-24 Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen, which currently trail the Milan-based club by only three points. Should they win at Leverkusen’s BayArena, I Nerazzuri will inch closer to securing a top-eight position. As well, depending on Liverpool’s future performances, Inter may present a legitimate challenge to finish in first place in the UCL table.
An additional win in their following match — an away fixture against Czech club Sparta Praha — would likely propel Inter into the round of 16. Such a scenario would signify that Inter’s final match — at home against Ligue 1 club AS Monaco — may matter only to clinch the top position of the UCL table.
#3 Stade Brestois
Past 2024-25 UCL Results:
Matchday 1: Stade Brestois 2-1 SK Sturm Graz — Stade du Roudourou, Guingamp
Matchday 2: Red Bull Salzburg 0-4 Stade Brestois — Red Bull Arena, Salzburg
Matchday 3: Stade Brestois 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen — Stade du Roudourou, Guingamp
Matchday 4: Sparta Praha 1-2 Stade Brestois — Epet Arena, Prague
Matchday 5: FC Barcelona 3-0 Stade Brestois — Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona
While we can place a number of well-performing clubs currently ranked in the top-eight as a third winner of our midterm evaluations, Ligue 1 club Stade Brestois (Brest) overcame greater odds as a smaller-sized club. Competing in their first European competition, Brest play their home matches at Stade du Rodourou in Guingamp, which is located a couple of hours away from Brest’s stadium: Stade Francis-Le Blé.
Tied at 10 points with a litany of clubs that include EPL club Aston Villa, Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen, Brest achieved an impressive record of three wins, one draw and one loss, the latter of which occurred in their last match at the hands of FC Barcelona. This record places Brest tied for sixth place in the UCL table; however, they rank 11th due to a lower goal differential.
Despite their loss against Barcelona — during which they had 24% of ball possession and failed to produce a shot on target — hardly anyone expected Brest to contend for a top-eight position in the UCL table. With five matches into the campaign, the northwestern French club has a decent chance to claim a top-eight position. Under a more plausible scenario, however, Brest may qualify for the playoff round, which comprises clubs that finish between ninth and 24th. This round encompasses eight two-legged series, with the eight winning clubs advancing to the round of 16.
To clinch a top-eight position, Brest would likely have to win at least two, if not all three remaining matches of their league stage campaign. To that end, they will need to overcome difficult challenges. First, they play at home against PSV, which rank 18th place. On the penultimate matchday, the northwestern French club will duel on the road against Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk, which currently rank 26th place but are a perennial UCL fixture with ample experience. Finally, their last match will take place at Stade du Roudourou against La Liga giants defending UCL winners Real Madrid. Despite Madrid’s porous UCL campaign thus far (more on them below), one cannot underestimate Madrid when their backs are against the wall.
Although a top-eight finish may prove to be a monumental challenge for an inexperienced club on the European stage, one win may prove enough for Brest to qualify for the UCL playoff round.
Finally, it is worth noting that Brest are thriving against great odds throughout consecutive seasons. Last season — 2023-24 — they maintained consistent dominance, finishing third place behind league winners Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and runner-up AS Monaco. Despite Brest’s offseason departures of last season’s star players — forward Steve Mounié and defender Lillian Brassier — they continue to exceed expectations, this time on the grand European stage. It is for this reason that their candidacy to our winners’ list eclipsed those of Aston Villa, Sporting CP, Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund — all of which are either tied with Brest or ahead in points.
**Part 2 of this article — the three losers from the 2024-25 UCL campaign — will be available soon!
Comment below your thoughts on the best and worst teams in the 2024-25 UCL campaign so far!
