Bayern visit Man United as PSG land nightmare Champions League schedule

Luis Enrique's side, who retained the trophy by beating Arsenal on penalties in May, were drawn against Barcelona, Manchester City and Aston Villa among their 8 opponents in the competition's league phase.

PSG may be the defending champions, but they will need to earn every step if they are to stay on top. At home, the French giants will welcome Barcelona, Roma, Turkish champions Galatasaray and Slovan Bratislava.

PSG will make 2 trips to England to face Manchester City and Aston Villa, both of whom they beat on the way to lifting their first Champions League title in 2025. They will also travel to Spain to meet Villarreal and to Italy to take on Cesc Fabregas' Como.

The opening round of matches will be played between Tuesday, September 8 and Thursday, September 10, with the final league-phase fixtures scheduled for the end of January. UEFA is expected to release the full fixture list on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Arsenal also came out of the draw with a demanding set of assignments. Last season's runners-up and reigning Premier League champions will host Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Azerbaijani side Sabah, who came through 4 qualifying ties to reach the league phase for the first time.

Mikel Arteta's side must go to Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli and Slavia Prague, a run that should test both depth and temperament.

Liverpool's schedule also has its share of danger. Andoni Iraola's team will host Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens at Anfield, while travelling to Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and Austrian newcomers LASK. It is not the worst draw on paper, but there are enough awkward nights in there to keep things interesting.

United have landed one of the tougher routes. Not being in Pot 1 has caught up with them a bit, and their home matches against Bayern Munich, Roma, RB Leipzig and Sabah are balanced by away trips to Atletico Madrid, Sporting, Villarreal and Como.

There are plenty of standout ties elsewhere too.

Manchester City will head to Barcelona, Real Madrid will face Inter at the Bernabeu, and Europa League holders Aston Villa have been handed a lively mix that includes an away trip to Barcelona, a home meeting with Dortmund and fixtures against both Istanbul heavyweights, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.

Fenerbahce's place in the league phase is one of the better stories from the qualifiers. They are back at this stage for the first time since 2008-09 after beating Lyon in this week's play-off. Como and Sabah are also fresh names in the competition, while LASK booked their place with that wild comeback win over Celtic.

Norwegian champions Viking have also reached the league phase for the first time and will get a proper taste of the occasion with games against Bayern, Atletico, Villa and Napoli.

This is now the 3rd season under the expanded format, with 36 clubs playing in one giant league and each side facing 8 different opponents. The final will be held at the Metropolitano in Madrid on June 5, 2027.