Liverpool has been drawn to face Real Madrid in the Champions League as part of the competition’s updated 36-team league format. In another notable matchup, Barcelona’s head coach Hansi Flick will be returning to Germany to lead his team against Bayern Munich for the third time in four seasons. Bayern has triumphed in their previous six encounters, including a significant 8-2 victory in the 2020 quarterfinals during Flick’s tenure, which culminated in a Champions League title.
The draw, which featured Gianluigi Buffon, Cristiano Ronaldo, and UEFA’s supercomputer, also presented key matchups such as Manchester City versus Paris Saint-Germain and a rematch of last year’s final: Borussia Dortmund against Madrid.
Arsenal benefited from a favorable matchup, avoiding some top Pot 1 teams to draw Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan. Aston Villa will take on Bayern Munich for the first time since their 1982 European Cup victory against the German club.
Aside from facing Real Madrid, Liverpool will reunite with former midfielder Xabi Alonso, who is now managing Bayer Leverkusen and visiting Anfield. Alonso was a strong contender to succeed Jürgen Klopp after his surprising resignation announcement in January.
This season’s new format requires each team to play eight matches before the knockout stage, which is two more than in previous years, with the final round of group games set for January 29, 2025. The Champions League final will be held at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena on May 31, 2025.
In the new structure, each team faces eight different opponents, with four home matches and four away, while avoiding matchups against others from the same league. The top eight teams will automatically progress to the round of 16, those ranked ninth to 24th will enter a knockout playoff, and the bottom twelve teams will be eliminated.
Fixture dates and times will be announced on Saturday.
Champions League draw results include:
Manchester City: Inter Milan (H), PSG (A), Club Brugge (H), Juventus (A), Feyenoord (H), Sporting Lisbon (A), Sparta Prague (H), Slovan Bratislava (A)
Arsenal: PSG (H), Inter Milan (A), Shakhtar Donetsk (H), Atalanta (A), Dinamo Zagreb (H), Sporting Lisbon (A), Monaco (H), Girona (A)
Liverpool: Real Madrid (H), RB Leipzig (A), Bayer Leverkusen (H), AC Milan (A), Lille (H), PSV (A), Bologna (H), Girona (A)
Aston Villa: Bayern Munich (H), RB Leipzig (A), Juventus (H), Club Brugge (A), Celtic (H), Young Boys (A), Bologna (H), Monaco (A)
Real Madrid: Dortmund (H), Liverpool (A), AC Milan (H), Atalanta (A), Salzburg (H), Lille (A), Stuttgart (H), Brest (A)
Barcelona: Bayern Munich (H), Dortmund (A), Atalanta (H), Benfica (A), Young Boys (H), Red Star Belgrade (A), Brest (H), Monaco (A)
Atlético Madrid: RB Leipzig (H), PSG (A), Bayer Leverkusen (H), Benfica (A), Lille (H), RB Salzburg (A), Slovan Bratislava (H), Sparta Prague (A)
Bayern Munich: PSG (H), Barcelona (A), Benfica (H), Shakhtar Donetsk (A), Dinamo Zagreb (H), Feyenoord (A), Slovan Bratislava (H), Aston Villa (A)
Bayer Leverkusen: Inter Milan (H), Liverpool (A), Atlético Madrid (A), AC Milan (H), RB Salzburg (H), Feyenoord (A), Sparta Prague (H), Brest (A)
Borussia Dortmund: Barcelona (H), Real Madrid (A), Shakhtar Donetsk (H), Club Brugge (A), Celtic (H), Dinamo Zagreb (A), Sturm Graz (H), Bologna (A)
Inter Milan: RB Leipzig (H), Man City (A), Arsenal (H), Leverkusen (A), Red Star Belgrade (H), Young Boys (A), Monaco (H), Sparta Prague (A)
AC Milan: Liverpool (H), Real Madrid (A), Club Brugge (H), Bayer Leverkusen (A), Red Star Belgrade (H), Dinamo Zagreb (A), Girona (H), Slovan Bratislava (A)
Juventus: Man City (H), RB Leipzig (A), Benfica (H), Club Brugge (A), PSV (H), Lille (A), Stuttgart (H), Aston Villa (A)
Paris Saint-Germain: Man City (H), Bayern Munich (A), Atlético Madrid (H), Arsenal (A), PSV (H), RB Salzburg (A), Girona (H), Stuttgart (A)
Celtic: RB Leipzig (H), Borussia Dortmund (A), Club Brugge (H), Atalanta (A), Young Boys (H), Dinamo Zagreb (A), Slovan Bratislava (H), Aston Villa (A)