Thursday’s UEFA Champions League draw, will see tough encounters as Arsenal are to face Real Madrid while Manchester City takes on Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain (PSG).

The two-time defending champions PSG were handed meetings with Barcelona, Manchester City and Aston Villa among its eight matches in the league phase of this season’s Champions League, as the draw took place on Thursday night.

This is the third edition of the Champions League that will feature the revamped 36-team league phase instead of the group stage format.

PSG, which beat Arsenal on penalties in May to retain the trophy, will play Barcelona, Roma, Turkish champions Galatasaray and Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia at home.

Luis Enrique’s team will travel to England twice to face City and Villa. It beat both teams on the way to winning its first Champions League title in 2025. The French champion will also go to Spain to play Villarreal and Italy to take on a Como side coached by Cesc Fabregas.

The first matches in this season’s league phase will be played between Tuesday, September 8 and Thursday, September 10, with the final games in late January.

UEFA is expected to announce the full fixture schedule on Saturday.