Liverpool will open their first campaign in the new, expanded Champions League with reruns of famous past finals against Milan and Real Madrid. Arne Slot’s side were also drawn to host Bayer Leverkusen, managed by their former midfielder Xabi Alonso, in a ceremony that began a fresh but uncertain era for Europe’s flagship club competition.
The semi-automated draw pitted Aston Villa, who are returning to the top table after 31 years away, against Bayern Munich in a repeat of the 1982 European Cup final. Villa won that match 1-0; the following year they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Juventus, who they will also face this time around. Like Bayern, the Italian side will travel to Villa Park in a significant milestone for the hosts’ development under Unai Emery.
“We want to not only be there, but to give good football,” said Damian Vidagany, Villa’s director of football operations. “It’s emotional for Aston Villa. For many years they were a team that England were proud of and we want to be again.”
These were just a few of the 144 games decided in a manner far removed from previous group stage draws. The competition has dispensed with its previous format of eight four-team groups; for at least the next three seasons 36 clubs will contest eight matches against different opponents, four at home and four away, in a single league table that concludes in January. The top eight will qualify directly for the knockout stages, with those ranked between nine and 24 contesting an extra playoff round.
Manchester City, Arsenal and Celtic can reflect on a mixed bag of assignments. City will reprise their own successful final when they host Inter, who they defeated in Istanbul last year. There should not be too much to fear about further home games against Club Brugge, Feyenoord and Sparta Prague; trips to Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Sporting and tournament debutants Slovan Bratislava may prove more exacting.
Arsenal will also face Inter, visiting San Siro for one of their away fixtures. They will also visit Sporting, with further trips to Atalanta and another first-timer in the form of Girona. Mikel Arteta’s side will welcome Paris Saint-Germain, Dinamo Zagreb, Monaco and Shakhtar Donetsk to the Emirates.
For Celtic, a visit to Villa is the highlight of an octet that will breed genuine hope of progress to at least the playoffs. They will travel to Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta and Dinamo Zagreb, while hosting RB Leipzig, Club Brugge, Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys.
In a nod to more old-fashioned methods, a ball for each club was drawn out by Gianluigi Buffon in the hall of Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum before Cristiano Ronaldo pressed a button that instantly brought that team’s fixtures on to the screen. What was lost in dramatic tension became atoned for in sheer volume, which may yet prove an apt descriptor of a format designed almost entirely to provide more matches between the continent’s elite.
From a British perspective, most of the romance blossomed in the draws handed to Liverpool and Villa. Liverpool’s appearance at San Siro will be particularly apt almost 20 years after their astonishing defeat of Milan in the 2005 final. Milan got their own back with a 2-1 victory in 2007. Real Madrid’s visit will revive memories of the 2018 final in Kyiv, which the La Liga champions won 3-1 thanks to Gareth Bale’s stunning overhead kick, and the more controversial final four years later in Paris, which was marred by problems for Liverpool fans getting into the stadium. Lille, Bologna and Alonso’s German champions will travel to Anfield, while Liverpool’s away campaign will be completed at RB Leipzig, PSV Eindhoven and Girona.
after newsletter promotion
For Villa, memories of Peter Withe’s famous winner in Rotterdam will be rife when they walk out to face Bayern in the most eye-catching of several big-ticket home games. Along with Juventus and Celtic, Bologna will have to tackle Villa Park at full volume. RB Leipzig, Club Brugge, Young Boys and Monaco will be their away opponents.
Vidagany said facing Bayern would “close the circle” for his club. “For the Villa fans to be represented here after 42 years, even having Bayern Munich in the group is something,” he said. “Now they will have Bayern at Villa Park, it’s huge and we can say we have the opportunity to qualify.”
The league phase’s fixtures may have been churned out in rapid-fire fashion but their order, and precise dates, will not be known until Saturday. The first set of matches will take place from 17-19 September.
