Arsenal and Liverpool learn their fates in new Champions League format

Arsenal and Liverpool have learned who they’ll face in the league phase of the 2024-25 Champions League after the draw was made on Thursday.

The European club competition has undergone a drastic revamp this season, with the group stage scrapped for a ‘league phase’, which includes all 36 teams.

Each side will play eight games – four at home and four away – which was decided by UEFA’s software, after teams were placed into four pots based on their seeding.

Liverpool and Manchester City were in Pot 1, Arsenal were in Pot 2 while Aston Villa – the fourth English club to qualify for the Champions League – were in Pot 4.

But which eight clubs do Arsenal face in the Champions League league phase? What about Liverpool? And who do City and Villa take on? Read on to find out…

Which eight clubs do Arsenal face in the Champions League league phase?

Arsenal face PSG, Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donestsk, Atalanta, Dinamo Zagreb, Sporting Lisbon, Monaco and Girona.

Which eight clubs do Liverpool face in the Champions League league phase?

Liverpool take on Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan, Lille, PSV, Bologna and Girona.

Which eight clubs do Manchester City face in the Champions League league phase?

Manchester City face Inter Milan, PSG, Club Brugge, Juventus, Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon, Sparta Prague and Slovan Bratislava.

Which eight clubs do Aston Villa face in the Champions League league phase?

Aston Villa take on Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Juventus, Club Brugge, Celtic, Young Boys, Bologna and Monaco.

New Champions League format explained

The traditional group stage has been scrapped for a 36-team league phase – but each club will only play eight fixtures – which has been decided by UEFA software after teams were put into four seeded pots based on their coefficient ranking.

After each club has played eight games, the sides who finish in the top eight of the 36-team league will progress directly to the last 16 of the knockouts.

Clubs ranked nine to 24 enter into a knockout play-off contest, where victory will secure a spot in the round of 16. Teams in positions 25 to 36 are eliminated from the competition.