B1 Intermediate · 264 words · 2 min read

PSG to Face Manchester City, Aston Villa and Barcelona in League Phase

The draw sends the European champions to Manchester and Villa Park, while Arsenal host Real Madrid at the Emirates.

European champions Paris St-Germain will face Premier League pair Manchester City and Aston Villa, as well as five-time winners Barcelona, in the league phase of this season's Champions League. The back-to-back winners will welcome Barcelona to the Parc des Princes and were handed trips to Villa Park and Manchester.

Premier League champions Arsenal will host 15-time winners Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium and travel to Bayern Munich. Mikel Arteta's side, who were beaten by PSG on penalties in last season's final, will also play Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Azerbaijan champions Sabah and Slavia Prague.

Enzo Maresca's City will welcome PSG to the Etihad Stadium and travel to Barcelona, where they will have a reunion with Spanish World Cup winner Rodri, who moved to the Nou Camp in a £65m deal this summer. City will also come up against another former midfielder, Kevin de Bruyne, when Napoli visit Manchester.

Europa League winners Villa, returning after a season away, will host PSG and Dortmund and travel to Barcelona and Galatasaray. Manchester United, back after a two-year hiatus, will meet Bayern, Atletico Madrid, Roma, Sporting, Leipzig, Villarreal, Sabah and Como, while Liverpool host Atletico, Porto, Villarreal and Lens.

Each of the 36 teams plays eight different opponents, four at home and four away. The top eight qualify automatically for the last 16, teams placed ninth to 24th enter a two-legged play-off, and sides finishing 25th or lower are eliminated. The first matches will be played on Tuesday, 8 September, the last round on 27 January 2027, and the final in Madrid on 5 June.

Too difficult? Read this story at A2 or at A1.