Arsenal host Real Madrid, Aston Villa play holders Paris Saint-Germain, while Manchester United will mark their Champions League return against Bayern Munich as the league phase draw was revealed in Thursday.
Premier League champions Arsenal, runners-up to PSG last season, will also visit Bayern Munich, host Borussia Dortmund and travel to Napoli in their campaign. The Gunners also play Real Betis, Lille, Azerbaijani debutants Sabah and Slavia Prague.
Michael Carrick’s United, in their first Champions League campaign in three years, have Bayern Munich at home and Atletico Madrid away among their eight league phase fixtures. There are also ties against Roma, Sporting, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Sabah and Como.
Liverpool will once again go to Inter Milan and host Atletico Madrid, two repeat fixtures from last season, as well as games against Porto, Villarreal and a tough trip to Turkey to play Fenerbahce. Andoni Iraola’s men also play Club Brugge, Lens and Austrian champions LASK.
Manchester City will play both holders PSG and Rodri’s Barcelona in a tough first campaign for Enzo Maresca and also face a reunion with Kevin De Bruyne as they drew Napoli at home. Sporting, Porto, Leipzig, AEK Athens and Lens complete their fixture schedule.
Europa League winners Aston Villa will go to Barcelona and the Camp Nou, as well as hosting holders PSG in a rematch of their epic quarter-final clash from two years ago. Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, both Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, as well as Norway’s Viking and Slavia Prague await Unai Emery’s men
The full fixture schedule for the Champions League league phase will be confirmed in the coming days. Follow all the latest updates, reaction and analysis from the draw below.
League phase matches
Matchday 1:
8-10 September
Matchday 2:
13-14 October
Matchday 3:
20-21 October
Matchday 4:
3-4 November
Matchday 5:
24-25 November
Matchday 6:
8-9 December
Matchday 7:
19-20 January
Matchday 8:
27 January
