Liverpool host Real Madrid in new Champions League format

Liverpool host Real Madrid in new Champions League format

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Liverpool will face Champions League holders Real Madrid on their return to the competition following the draw for the new-look format.

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Manchester City and Arsenal both play Paris St-Germain in their fixtures, while Aston Villa take on Scottish champions Celtic.

Each team plays eight fixtures in the ‘league phase’, with this year’s men’s tournament seeing a radical change, including the end of a group stage.

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The high-tech draw took place in Monaco on Thursday, with Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo pressing the all-important button to make a computer algorithm determine the fixtures.

A Uefa video shown before the draw used stars from across the game showing their confusion at the new format, before former Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic praised it for “more football” in a comical interaction with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin.

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Who will British teams play?

The order of matches will be confirmed on Saturday, after the Europa League and Conference League draws have been made.

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Aston Villa

Bayern Munich (H)

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Leipzig (A)

Juventus (H)

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Club Bruges (A)

Celtic (H)

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Young Boys (A)

Bologna (H)

Monaco (A)

Arsenal

Paris St-Germain (H)

Inter Milan (A)

Shakhtar Donetsk (H)

Atalanta (A)

Dinamo Zagreb (H)

Sporting Lisbon (A)

Monaco (H)

Girona (A)

Celtic

Aston Villa (A)

Leipzig (H)

Borussia Dortmund (A)

Club Bruges (H)

Atalanta (A)

Young Boys (H)

Dinamo Zagreb (A)

Slovan Bratislava (H)

Liverpool

Real Madrid (H)

Leipzig (A)

Leverkusen (H)

AC Milan (A)

Lille (H)

PSV Eindhoven (A)

Bologna (H)

Girona (A)

Manchester City

Inter Milan (H)

Paris St-Germain (A)

Club Brugge (H)

Juventus (A)

Feyenoord (H)

Sporting Lisbon (A)

Sparta Prague (H)

Slovan Bratislava (A)

How does the new format work?

The expanded 36-team tournament sees each team play eight games – four at home and four away – in the league system, against two opponents from each of the four seeding pots.

Teams who finish in the top eight will qualify automatically for the last 16, while those who place ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off for the chance to join them.

Whoever finishes 25th or lower will be eliminated and will not be entered into the Europa League.

The number of matches in the new format will increase from 125 to 189.

Each team will play a minimum of eight games – instead of six – and a maximum of 17.

Champions League action begins on 17-19 September, and with the increased number of fixtures, the league phase runs until 29 January rather than finishing before Christmas.

BBC

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