European champions Paris Saint-Germain have been handed a daunting league-phase campaign in this season’s UEFA Champions League, with clashes against Premier League heavyweights Manchester City and Aston Villa, as well as five-time winners Barcelona.
The defending champions will host Barcelona at the Parc des Princes and welcome Manchester City and Aston Villa, while also travelling to England for their meeting with Villa.
The draw has produced several heavyweight encounters, with some of Europe’s biggest clubs facing each other before the knockout stages.
Premier League champions Arsenal face arguably one of the toughest schedules, with 15-time European champions Real Madrid visiting the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side will also travel to Germany to face Bayern Munich. Arsenal, who lost last season’s final to PSG on penalties, will additionally play Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Azerbaijan champions Sabah and Slavia Prague.
Meanwhile, Manchester City will host PSG at the Etihad Stadium and travel to Barcelona.
The Barcelona trip will see City midfielder Rodri return to his former club following his reported £65 million move to the Catalan giants during the summer.
City will also come up against another familiar face when Napoli visit Manchester, with former City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne now playing for the Italian club.
Their other league-phase opponents are Sporting Club, Porto, RB Leipzig, AEK Athens and Lens.
Also, Europa League winners Aston Villa will make their return to the Champions League after a season away from Europe’s elite competition.
Unai Emery’s team will host PSG and Borussia Dortmund, while their away fixtures include Barcelona and Galatasaray.
Villa will also face Club Brugge, Fenerbahce, Viking and Slavia Prague.
On the other hand, Champions League returnees, Manchester United have been drawn against Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid after a two year break from the competition.
The Red Devils will face Roma, Sporting Club, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Sabah and Como.
Liverpool, meanwhile, will host Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens at Anfield, while travelling to face Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK.
The opening league-phase matches are scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, with the final round of matches to be played on January 27, 2027.
The exact fixture schedule is expected to be announced on Saturday.
The Champions League final will be staged in Madrid on June 5, 2027.
