UEFA Youth League 2015: Dates, Times, Fixture Schedule, Group Tables and Preview
The UEFA Youth League has had a change in format ahead of the 2015 season and will now see 64 of Europe's best sides face off in youth club football's showpiece tournament.
Along with the usual 32 youth teams and eight groups that reflect the senior sides qualified and drawn for the Champions League, for the competition's third season, there will also feature the 32 domestic champions from the top-ranked UEFA associations.
As the tournament's official Twitter feed demonstrates, the 32 Champions League sides will play each other in the same groups as the senior teams, while the domestic champions will take each other on in two two-legged knockout play-offs:
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The eight play-off winners will face the eight group runners-up to determine who joins the group winners in the round of 16.
For the "Champions League Path," the fixtures will follow the same matchday schedule as the senior competition. In the "Domestic Champions Path" the teams will "in principle" play on Wednesdays in the first round across Matchweeks 2 and 3 of the Champions League and the second round in Matchweeks 4 and 5, according to the official regulations.
Here are the first-round fixtures for both paths, and the remainder that have so far been confirmed can be found on UEFA's official website:
| Tuesday, September 15 | 1 p.m./8 a.m. | PSV v Manchester United |
| Tuesday, September 15 | 2 p.m./9 a.m. | Galatasaray v Atletico Madrid |
| Tuesday, September 15 | 2 p.m./9 a.m. | Paris Saint-Germain v Malmo |
| Tuesday, September 15 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Real Madrid v Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Tuesday, September 15 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Wolfsburg v CSKA Moscow |
| Tuesday, September 15 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Sevilla v Borussia Monchengladbach |
| Tuesday, September 15 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Benfica v Astana |
| Tuesday, September 15 | 5 p.m./12 p.m. | Manchester City v Juventus |
| Wednesday, September 16 | 10 a.m./5 a.m. | Olympiacos v Bayern Munich |
| Wednesday, September 16 | 12 p.m./7 a.m. | Dynamo Kiev v Porto |
| Wednesday, September 16 | 1 p.m./8 a.m. | Bayer Leverkusen v BATE Borisov |
| Wednesday, September 16 | 1 p.m./8 a.m. | Gent v Lyon |
| Wednesday, September 16 | 1:05 p.m./8:05 a.m. | Chelsea v Maccabi Tel-Aviv |
| Wednesday, September 16 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Valencia v Zenit |
| Wednesday, September 16 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Roma v Barcelona |
| Wednesday, September 16 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Dynamo Zagreb v Arsenal |
| Tuesday, September 29 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Minsk v Viitorul |
| Tuesday, September 29 | 5 p.m./12 p.m. | Senica v Torino |
| Wednesday, September 30 | TBD | Aktobe v Besiktas |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 12 p.m./7 a.m. | Villarreal v Servette |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 1 p.m./8 a.m. | Rad v NK Domzale |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 1 p.m./8 a.m. | Spartak Moscow v Ravan |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 2 p.m./9 a.m. | APOEL v Felcsut |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Schalke v Ajax |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Pribram v Zimbru |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 4:30 p.m./11:30 a.m. | HJK v Celtic |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 5 p.m./12 p.m. | Litex v Legia |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 5 p.m./12 p.m. | Elfsborg v Stjarnan |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 5 p.m./12 p.m. | Salzburg v Zeljeznicar |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 5 p.m./12 p.m. | Midtjylland v Saburtalo |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 6 p.m./1 p.m | Reims v Middlesbrough |
| Wednesday, September 30 | 6 p.m./1 p.m | Brann v Anderlecht |
Preview
Title holders Chelsea will be looking to repeat last year's success but will have to do so without several key players.
Isaiah Brown captained the team to victory in the final over Shakhtar Donetsk last year, leading by example with two goals as he put in a magnificent performance.
Likewise, Dominic Solanke was instrumental in the final as he also scored as well, just as he did throughout the tournament, as he netted 12 goals and won the Golden Boot.
However, both players are now on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, while Andreas Christensen, who recorded five assists in the competition last year, is now at Borussia Monchengladbach for the season.
Chelsea will need to look for inspiration elsewhere if they're to defend their title.
Charlie Colkett could be the one to do so. The youngster bagged five goals in the tournament last season and also played a key role in Chelsea winning the FA Youth Cup as he dominated from midfield, per Bleacher Report's own Garry Hayes:
Hayes lavished praise on him following the win: "He isn't out there in the middle running around and looking busy; Colkett is watching the game play out before him, reading situations and calculating the best options. He has the brain of a player well beyond his years; he's mature, considered."
With Colkett pulling the strings in midfield, Chelsea have an excellent chance of making another strong run to the final.
The likes of former champions Barcelona and last year's runners-up Shakhtar will be among the biggest threats the Blues will face, though there could easily be a challenger among the domestic champions.
With 64 teams present this season, the competition appears bloated. But the additional teams have all earned their place and, on the back of title-winning seasons, should also have something to say come the business end of the tournament.
