"One of the primary complaints about the new Champions League format, with no groups and one large, 36-team table, is that it's hard to figure out the stakes from week to week. There's plenty of truth in that concern. But we're four matchdays into the 2025-26 Champions League league phase, having hit the halfway point this week, and we can definitely find that plenty has changed since the competition began a couple of months ago."
"Liverpool have stumbled, but if Tuesday's win over Real Madrid is any indication, might be righting the ship. Arsenal's odds of a Premier League-Champions League double improve by the day. Bayern are reminding us all that if you win every match, you're going to win lots of trophies. And as a whole, we've seen far more early focus from the sport's heavyweights than a year ago - we don't have teams like Real Madrid or PSG flirting with missing out on a top-24 finish."
"Whose stock has risen the most in four matches? Granted, four matches haven't changed much for some teams. Of the 36 teams in the league phase, 18 have a projected point total, per Opta's power ratings, within two points of what it was in early September. Monaco, for instance, has evidently changed absolutely nothing thus far -- they've gone from 10.1 expected points ... to 10.1 expected points."
The new 36-team, no-groups Champions League format makes weekly stakes harder to parse, but four matchdays reveal significant movement. Liverpool have struggled but showed signs of recovery with a win over Real Madrid. Arsenal's chances of completing a Premier League-Champions League double have increased. Bayern Munich's perfect start underscores that consistent wins translate into trophies. Heavyweight clubs are applying more early focus than last year, reducing the risk of major teams missing top-24 qualification. Half the league phase teams show little change in projections, while nine teams have seen notable positive shifts in points and odds.
Read at ESPN.com
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