Liverpool to host Real Madrid in new-look Champions League
Liverpool will face Champions League holders, Real Madrid, on their return to the competition following the draw for the new-look format.
Manchester City and Arsenal both play Paris St-Germain in their fixtures, while Aston Villa take on Scottish champions, Celtic.
Each team plays eight fixtures in the ‘league phase’, with this year’s men’s tournament seeing a radical change, including the end of a group stage.
The high-tech draw took place in Monaco on Thursday, with Portugal forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, pressing the all-important button to make a computer algorithm determine the fixtures.
A UEFA video shown before the draw used stars from across the game showing their confusion at the new format, before former Swedish star, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, praised it for “more football” in a comical interaction with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin.
The order of matches will be confirmed on Saturday, after the Europa League and Conference League draws have been made.
Real face Dortmund in repeat of last year’s final games to look out for
Teams that cannot play another from the same country in the league phase so there is no potential for derbies, however the new system ensures a number of exciting matches between top sides.
Aside from the British teams, champions Real Madrid play Borussia Dortmund in a repeat of last year’s final.
Real who beat Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley to lift the 2023-24 trophy also play Italian sides, AC Milan and Atalanta.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, will return to Anfield with his Bayer Leverkusen side for one of their league phase games.
French champions, Paris St-Germain, face Bayern Munich in a repeat of the 2020 final they lost, and also take on Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have drawn both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund from pot one. —BBC
