The Champions League will look and sound different this season (Picture: Getty)
The Champions League is back for the 2024/25 season – and the competition’s new music is one of two changes to this year’s edition.
Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa are representing the Premier League this season with a completely revamped format awaiting those four sides ahead of the opening round of fixtures this week.
Each team are facing eight different opponents in the new, 36-team league format, with four home games and four away games for each side.
At the end of the league format, the top eight will automatically qualify for the last-16, while those ranked ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged play-off for the chance to join them.
Real Madrid are the defending Champions of Europe (Picture: Getty)
The other – and more subtle change – is to do with the iconic Champions League music that has accompanied the tournament since since its rebrand in 1992.
Viewers will be used to the classic anthem playing over television adverts and in stadiums before each match but UEFA officials have decided to tinker with the intro for this season.
That’s because they’ve chosen to return to the ‘orchestral version’ of the original track, a version not heard in 18 years since the 2005/06 season when Barcelona beat Arsenal 2-1 to claim their second Champions League.
Real Madrid go into this season as the tournament’s defending champions after their 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in June.
English hopes, meanwhile, will be spearheaded by Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa, with Unai Emery’s side competing in the competition for the first time since 1983.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.