The draw for the new Champions League league phase has been conducted, marking the beginning of a fresh format for the competition.
This season, the Champions League will feature a ‘Swiss-style’ league phase instead of the traditional group stage, with 36 teams participating instead of the usual 32.
The league phase will conclude at the end of January, unlike the previous December finish.The top eight teams will automatically advance to the knockout stages.
Meanwhile, teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure a spot in the last 16.
Teams placed 25th to 36th will be eliminated from all competitions.Here are some of the notable fixtures:- **
Manchester City** will play Inter, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, and Sparta Prague at home.
They will face PSG, Juventus, Sporting Lisbon, and Slovan Bratislava away.-
Inter Milan will host RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Red Star, and Monaco, while traveling to Manchester City, Bayer Leverkusen, Young Boys, and Sparta Prague.-
*Bayern Munich will have home games against PSG, Benfica, Dinamo, and Slovan Bratislava. They will play away against Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, Feyenoord, and Aston Villa.-
*RB Leipzig will face Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Celtic, and Sturm Graz away, while hosting Liverpool, Juventus, Sporting Lisbon, and Aston Villa.-
Borussia Dortmund will play Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Celtic at home, and travel to Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb, and Bologna.-
Barcelona will host Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Young Boys, and Brest, and play away against Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Red Star, and Monaco.-
Real Madrid will play Dortmund, Milan, Salzburg, and Stuttgart at home, and travel to Liverpool, Atalanta, Lille, and Brest.- *
*Liverpool will host Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, and Bologna, and travel to RB Leipzig, AC Milan, PSV, and Girona.- **PSG** will face Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, PSV, and Girona at home, and play away against Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Salzburg, and Stuttgart.- *
*Atletico Madrid will host RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, and Slovan Bratislava, while traveling to PSG, Benfica, Salzburg, and Sparta Prague.-
*Arsenal** will play PSG, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb, and Monaco at home, and face Inter Milan, Atalanta, Sporting Lisbon, and Girona away.
These are just a few of the key fixtures in the new league phase, which promises to be an exciting competition with its revamped format.
