Youth League, league phase: Inter in the top six | OneFootball

A perfect, spectacular and flawless run from the Nerazzurri Primavera in the Youth League so far. Five victories out of five matches, with 18 goals scored and 7 conceded. For the Nerazzurri, who had already mathematically gained access to the Youth League round of 16, the certainty of being among the top six teams in the league phase has now arrived.

Thanks to the 3-2 victory over Leipzig and the draws by Shakhtar and Stuttgart, Zanchetta's team is certain to face one of the teams ranked between 17th and 22nd in the next round.

The knockout phase will begin between 11 and 12 February: Inter will know their opponent on 20 December 2024, the day of the draw in Nyon. The round of 16 will be held in a single match format.

Before knowing the name of the opponent for the round of 16, the Nerazzurri will have to conclude the league phase, facing Leverkusen away on Tuesday 10 December.

FORMAT

As usual, the Youth League is initially divided into two paths: one following the League Phase of the Champions League and one involving the national champion teams from the 52 UEFA-affiliated federations.

The Champions League path includes 36 youth teams from clubs that qualified for the top European competition, including Inter Primavera. This phase mirrors the Champions League schedule, limited to the first six matchdays, featuring the same matches played in both competitions (three at home and three away). The top 22 teams will qualify for the Round of 16.

The National Champions path has 52 participating teams and is divided into three knockout rounds, played over two legs. At the end of the third qualifying round, 10 teams will advance to the Round of 16 of the Youth League.

KNOCKOUT PHASE AND FINAL FOUR

Starting from the Round of 16, a single-elimination knockout phase will commence. Clubs ranked 1st to 6th in the Champions League path will face teams ranked 17th to 22nd, while those ranked 7th to 16th will compete against the 10 teams qualified from the national champions path.

An additional open draw will be held for the Round of 16. As usual, the tournament will conclude with a final phase involving four teams (semifinals and final) played at a neutral venue.