Champions League draw sim: Liverpool to face European giants, Arsenal get tough away trips

The Champions League draw has been simulated and it has thrown up some extremely difficult fixtures for England's representatives.

The draw for the league phase of Europe's premier club competition takes place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, France and for the second time and marks the second edition using a league table format.

Brought in last year to make the tournament more competitive and entertaining, there will once again be 36 teams in the league - with sides playing a total of eight games against drawn opponents from September to January.

Premier League sides Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Spurs will play four games at home and four away - with no club playing more than two consecutive home or away fixtures.

All sides have been split into four different pots based on individual coefficient rankings, with only one physical ball drawn before the automated software selects eight opponents.

Sides play two teams from each pot - one home and one away - and cannot up against an outfit from the same country.

In addition, no team will drawn against two opponents from the same country.

Using the strict criteria, SPORTbible simulated the draw for English sides and created some mouthwatering fixtures.

Liverpool

Atalanta (H)

Real Madrid (A)

Bodo Glimt (H)

Club Brugge (A)

Union SG (A)

Borussia Dortmund (H)

Pafos (H)

Marseille (A)

The Premier League champions have been placed in one pot one after topping last year's inaugural table before being knocked out by holders Paris Saint-Germain.

The Reds have a reasonably straightforward set of fixtures, apart from a tricky trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to play 15-time champions Real Madrid on the second matchday.

Arsenal

Pafos (H)

PSV Eindhoven (A)

Villarreal (H)

Borussia Dortmund (A)

Napoli (A)

Real Madrid (A)

Copenhagen (H)

Club Brugge (A)

Last year's semi-finalists are in pot two and kick off their campaign with games against Pafos and PSV Eindhoven, who they trounced 9-3 on aggregate last term.

However, they are slated to have back-to-back away games against Serie A champions Napoli and Real - who they beat in the quarter-finals.

Manchester City

Paris Saint-Germain (A)

Benfica (H)

Monaco (A)

Slavia (A)

PSV Eindhoven (A)

Inter Milan (H)

Athletic Club (H)

Bayer Leverkusen (A)

Manchester City's Champions League campaign was a huge disappointment last season and the simulation pits Pep Guardiola's men against three sides they faced in PSG, Slavia Prague and Inter Milan.

The simulation paired Manchester City against holders PSG in their first outing. Image: Getty

Bayer Leverkusen are their eighth and final opponents.

Chelsea

Villarreal (H)

Qarabag (A)

Napoli (H)

Juventus (A)

Kairat (H)

Sporting CP (A)

Bayern Munich (A)

Barcelona (H)

Two-time European champions Chelsea return to the Champions League with a fairly attractive run of games, though they will hope to have racked up enough points for qualification prior to huge games against Bayern Munich and Barcelona to end the league phase.

Newcastle

Galatasaray (A)

Marseille (H)

Sporting (A)

Qarabag (H)

Bayern Munich (H)

Paris Saint-Germain (A)

Juventus (A)

Atletico Madrid (H)

Newcastle are back in the big time and likely without Alexander Isak as he continues to try and force a move away from St James' Park.

In the Champions League, Newcastle can look forward to meetings with Bayern Munich, PSG, Juventus and Atletico Madrid - though don't forget that nightmare trip to Istanbul to play Galatasaray in their first fixture.

Spurs

Bodo Glimt (H)

Copenhagen (A)

Inter Milan (A)

Bayer Leverkusen (H)

Barcelona (H)

Ajax (A)

Union SG (H)

Benfica (A)

The Europa League finalists will be more than happy if their fixture list looks similar in the actual draw - with Barcelona, Inter Milan Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica their toughest opponents on paper.

The campaign kicks off with games against sides in Scandinavia in Bodo Glimt and Copenhagen.

2025/26 Champions League schedule

League phase

Matchday 1: 16–18 September 2025

Matchday 2: 30 September–1 October 2025

Matchday 3: 21/22 October 2025

Matchday 4: 4/5 November 2025

Matchday 5: 25/26 November 2025

Matchday 6: 9/10 December 2025

Matchday 7: 20/21 January 2026

Matchday 8: 28 January 2026

Knockout phases

Knockout phase play-offs: 17/18 & 24/25 February 2026

Round of 16: 10/11 & 17/18 March 2026

Quarter-finals: 7/8 & 14/15 April 2026

Semi-finals: 28/29 April & 5/6 May 2026

Final: 30 May 2026 (Budapest)