Liverpool and Man City Draw Real Madrid in Champions League; PSG Face Barcelona and Bayern in Tough Line-Up

Liverpool and Manchester City have both been drawn to face Real Madrid in the league phase of this season’s UEFA Champions League, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) face a daunting schedule that includes matches against Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid will host Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabéu and travel to Anfield to take on Premier League runners-up Liverpool in two of the competition’s most anticipated fixtures.

Liverpool, now under the leadership of Arne Slot, topped the league phase last season but were eliminated by PSG in the Round of 16. In addition to hosting Real Madrid, they will welcome Atletico Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, and Qarabag of Azerbaijan to Anfield. Away fixtures for the Reds include trips to Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, and Turkish champions Galatasaray.

Manchester City, Champions League winners in 2023, have also drawn a challenging schedule. Pep Guardiola’s side will play home matches against Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Serie A champions Napoli, and Galatasaray. City’s away games include visits to Real Madrid, Villarreal, Monaco, and Norwegian debutants Bodo/Glimt.

PSG, managed by Luis Enrique, will play Bayern Munich at home and travel to face Barcelona in a reunion of European heavyweights. The French giants will also host Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, while facing difficult away games at Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting Lisbon, Atalanta, and Athletic Bilbao.

Despite ultimately lifting the trophy last season, PSG struggled in the new league format, finishing 15th in the standings. The revamped Champions League format — introduced last season — places all 36 clubs into one large league table. Each team plays eight games against eight different opponents. The top eight teams advance directly to the Round of 16, while those placed 9th to 24th will enter a play-off round. The bottom 12 will be eliminated.

Elsewhere in the draw, Barcelona will travel to both Chelsea and Newcastle United, while Arsenal face tough assignments against Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid at home, and must visit Inter Milan and Athletic Bilbao.

Among the competition’s newcomers, Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan — who defeated Celtic on penalties in the play-off round — will host Real Madrid and travel to London to face Arsenal. Cypriot underdogs Pafos will visit Chelsea and host Bayern Munich in what promises to be a historic campaign for the club.

UEFA is expected to announce the full fixture schedule on Friday, with the opening round of matches set between September 16 and 18. The final matchday will take place on January 28.

This season’s Champions League final will be held in Budapest, Hungary, on May 30, with kickoff confirmed for 6:00 pm local time — three hours earlier than the usual 9:00 pm start.