The season
The 2017/18 competition used the format we call “eight groups, then knockouts”. Eight groups of four, then two-legged knockout rounds from the last sixteen. 32 clubs from 17 countries took part, and Real Madrid won it, beating Liverpool in the final.
By our squad ratings, FC Barcelona had the strongest squad in the field, with a best eleven averaging 88. Real Madrid were the third strongest squad: among the favourites, if not the clear one. Their opponents in the final, Liverpool, rated 86.
England sent the most clubs, 5. 10 of the 17 nations in the field had a single representative.
The highest-rated player in the competition, by our estimates, was Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona, a ST rated 91.
Thirty-two clubs played eight groups of four, home and away. The top two from each group went into the round of sixteen, and from there every tie was played over two legs until the single-match final. Ties level on aggregate were decided by away goals, then extra time and penalties.
The strongest squads
Our rating for each club is the average of its best eleven players that season, on the scale the game uses.
- 1FC BarcelonaSpain88
- 2FC Bayern MunichGermany88
- 3Real MadridSpain88
- 4ChelseaEngland87
- 5Manchester CityEngland87
- 6Manchester UnitedEngland87
- 7Borussia DortmundGermany86
- 8JuventusItaly86
The best players in the field
- 1Lionel MessiFC Barcelona · ST91
- 2Gareth BaleReal Madrid · CDM90
- 3Jérôme BoatengFC Bayern Munich · CB90
- 4Jordi AlbaFC Barcelona · LB90
- 5Karim BenzemaReal Madrid · ST90
- 6Luis SuárezFC Barcelona · ST90
- 7Marcelo VieiraReal Madrid · LB90
- 8Thomas MüllerFC Bayern Munich · CAM90
- 9 NeymarParis Saint-Germain · CDM89
- 10Ángel Di MaríaParis Saint-Germain · CDM89
The groups
Replay 2017/18 in Magic Nights
In Magic Nights you can take charge of any of these 32 clubs, with the squad they had that season, and play the competition in this exact format. Win it with the favourites, or try the hardest job in the game: lifting the trophy with a club from the bottom half of the field.