Premier League teams learn opponents
European champions Paris St-Germain are set to play against Premier League clubs Manchester City and Aston Villa, alongside five-time winners Barcelona, in the league phase of this season’s Champions League. Paris St-Germain, who are back-to-back Champions League winners, will host Barcelona at Parc des Princes and will also make trips to Villa Park and Manchester.
Arsenal, the Premier League champions, will welcome 15-time winners Real Madrid to Emirates Stadium and will also travel to Bayern Munich. Mikel Arteta‘s team, who were runners-up last season after losing to Paris St-Germain on penalties in the final, will also compete against Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Azerbaijani champions Sabah, and Slavia Prague.
Enzo Maresca‘s Manchester City will host Paris St-Germain at Etihad Stadium and journey to Barcelona. This trip will include a reunion with former midfielder Rodri, who moved to the Nou Camp in a deal this summer. City will also encounter another former midfielder, Kevin de Bruyne, when Napoli visits Manchester. Their other opponents include Sporting, Porto, RB Leipzig, AEK Athens, and Lens.
Europa League winners Aston Villa, returning to the competition after a season away, will host Paris St-Germain and Borussia Dortmund. They will also travel to Barcelona and Galatasaray. Unai Emery‘s side will additionally face Club Brugge, Fenerbahce, Viking, and Slavia Prague.
Manchester United, making their return after a two-year absence, will play against Bayern, Atletico Madrid, Roma, Sporting, Leipzig, Villarreal, Sabah, and Como.
Liverpool’s fixtures and other key matchups
Liverpool will host Atletico, Porto, Villarreal, and Lens. Their away fixtures include visits to Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce, and LASK. This set of games is considered a favourable outcome for Liverpool, though a trip to Inter, the Serie A champions, is arguably their most challenging fixture. Last season, Liverpool secured a win in the league phase at the San Siro.
The first league-phase matches are scheduled for Tuesday, 8 September, and Wednesday, 9 September. The final round of games will take place on 27 January 2027. The full schedule and dates for all eight match weeks are expected to be released on Saturday.
The final of this season’s Champions League is set to be held in Madrid on 5 June.
In other matchups, Galatasaray will host Barcelona, Aston Villa, Feyenoord, and Stuttgart. Their away games include trips to Paris St-Germain, Sporting, Lille, and AEK Athens. Fenerbahce will host Liverpool, Roma, Villarreal, and Slavia Prague, while travelling to Atletico Madrid, Aston Villa, Shakhtar, and LASK. This means Romelu Lukaku is expected to visit Anfield and Villa Park.
Real Betis will play Arsenal, Porto, Feyenoord, and Como at home, with away fixtures against Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Lille, and Slavia Bratislava. Napoli’s schedule includes home games against Arsenal, Club Brugge, Bodo/Glimt, and Viking, and away matches against Manchester City, Porto, Villarreal, and Sabah.
League phase format and last season’s performance
Each of the 36 participating teams will play eight different opponents in the league phase, with four matches at home and four away. The top eight teams in the league phase will automatically advance to the last 16. Teams finishing from ninth to 24th position will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off to secure a spot in the last 16.
Teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated from the competition and will not drop into the Europa League. Last season, Arsenal, who were eventual runners-up, topped the league phase standings with 24 points, achieving eight wins from as many matches.
Liverpool finished third with 18 points, behind second-placed Bayern Munich. Tottenham secured fourth place, one point behind Liverpool. Chelsea and Manchester City also qualified directly for the last 16, finishing sixth and eighth respectively, while Newcastle ended the league phase in 12th position.
Last season, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle, and Spurs were all knocked out in the last 16. Liverpool were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Paris St-Germain, who also defeated Arsenal in the final to claim their second consecutive title.
Source: bbc.co.uk