- It’s tough draws for Arsenal, Man City, Aston Villa, Man United
As English football giants step back into Europe’s elite arena, they face a brutal gauntlet where historic ambitions collide with the looming threat of Champions League heartbreak with reigning European champions Paris St-Germain (PSG) set to face Premier League duo Manchester City and Aston Villa as well as five-time winners Barcelona in the league phase of this season’s Champions League.
Football pundits are quick to point out that for England’s heavyweights, the road to European glory looks more like a minefield as they will be walking the tightrope of a brutal gauntlet run, standing face-to-face with the ghosts of past Champions League failures.
Interestingly, following a blockbuster Champions League league phase draw that hands the French giants a formidable path to the knockout rounds, there is a home showdown between them and Barcelona with testing away draws in England. The back-to-back Champions League winners will welcome Barca to Parc des Princes, while they have trips to Villa Park and Manchester for this league phase.
For Premier League champions Arsenal, hosting 15-time winners Real Madrid at Emirates Stadium looks an uphill task, in addition to being handed a trip to Bayern Munich. The Mikel Arteta’s men, beaten by PSG on penalties in the final last season, will also face Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Azerbaijan champions Sabah and Slavia Prague as well.
On their part, Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City will be hosting PSG at Etihad Stadium while traveling to Barcelona later for an obvious reunion with Spanish World Cup-winner Rodri, who moved to the Nou Camp in a £65m deal this summer. Also, the Cityzens will be up against another of their former midfielders in Kevin de Bruyne when Napoli storm Manchester, and their other opponents include Sporting, Porto, RB Leipzig, AEK Athens and Lens.
Similarly, there will be baptism of fire for Europa League winners Villa, who are returning to the competition after a season away, as they host PSG and Dortmund and travel to Barcelona and Galatasaray in the later stages. The Unai Emery’s side also have a date with Club Brugge, Fenerbahce, Viking and Slavia Prague.
Returning to the Europe’s elite tournament after two years in the doldrums, Micheal Carrick’s Manchester United will meet Bayern, Atletico Madrid, Roma, Sporting, Leipzig, Villarreal, Sabah and Como in the league stage while Liverpool, as hosts, will battle Atletico, Porto, Villarreal and Lens and also be on the road to Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK.
From the initial schedule released by UEFA, the battle for European glory kicks off Tuesday, September 8, launching a revamped league phase that runs through January 27, 2027, before culminating in a high-stakes final in Madrid on June 5.
But while anticipation by fans is building ahead of Saturday’s formal calendar unveiling, the grand theatre of the tournament is already taking shape. For every team in the running, the long, grueling march to Madrid, the Spanish capital, has officially begun.
Opponents Of Premier League Teams
Arsenal: Real Madrid (home), Bayern Munich (away), Borussia Dortmund (home), Real Betis (away), Lille (home), Napoli (away), Sabah (home), Slavia Prague (away)
Aston Villa: PSG (home), Barcelona (away), Borussia Dortmund (home), Club Brugge (away), Fenerbahce (home), Galatasaray (away), Viking (home), Slavia Prague (away)
Liverpool: Atletico Madrid (home), Inter Milan (away), Porto (home), Club Brugge (away), Villarreal (home), Fenerbahce (away), Lens (home), LASK (away)
Manchester City: PSG (home), Barcelona (away), Sporting Club (home), Porto (away), Napoli (home), Leipzig (away), AEK Athens (home), Lens (away)
Manchester United: Bayern Munich (home), Atletico Madrid (away), Roma (home), Sporting Club (away), Leipzig (home), Villarreal (away), Sabah (home), Como (away)
How The League Phase Work?
Each of the 36 teams plays eight different teams, four at home and four away, in the league phase. Teams who finish in the top eight automatically qualify for the last 16, while those placing ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off for the chance to join them. Sides who finish 25th or lower will be eliminated, and will not drop into the Europa League.
In last season’s competition, eventual runners-up Arsenal topped the league phase standings with 24 points after eight wins from as many matches. Liverpool placed third behind second-placed Bayern Munich with 18 points while Tottenham finished one point behind in fourth.
Chelsea and Manchester City initially bypassed the early rounds, punching direct tickets to the last 16 with sixth- and eighth-place finishes, while Newcastle secured their spot further down the ladder in 12th. Yet, that regular-season success counted for little in the knockout stages.
In a brutal round-of-16 purge last season, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle, and Tottenham Hotspur were all ruthlessly sent packing. Liverpool managed to survive one round longer, only to be bounced in the quarter-finals by a dominant PSG, the very same French powerhouse that eventually broke Arsenal’s hearts in the final to capture back-to-back titles. – With BBC report
