The simulated Champions League draw has produced some tough challenges for England’s clubs.
The official draw for the league phase of Europe’s top club competition will take place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, marking the second year of the new league-table format.
Introduced last season to increase competitiveness and excitement, the format features 36 teams, each playing eight matches—four at home and four away—between September and January. No team can play more than two consecutive home or away fixtures.
Clubs are seeded into four pots based on their UEFA coefficient ranking. A single ball is drawn, before software selects eight opponents per team. Each club faces two sides from each pot (one home, one away), but cannot meet teams from their own country or draw two sides from the same nation.
With these rules in mind, SPORTbible ran a simulation to predict fixtures for the Premier League’s representatives, producing some eye-catching ties.
Liverpool
- Atalanta (H)
- Real Madrid (A)
- Bodo Glimt (H)
- Club Brugge (A)
- Union SG (A)
- Borussia Dortmund (H)
- Pafos (H)
- Marseille (A)
Placed in Pot 1 after topping last year’s table, Liverpool’s fixtures look manageable aside from a daunting away trip to 15-time champions Real Madrid.
Arsenal
- Pafos (H)
- PSV Eindhoven (A)
- Villarreal (H)
- Borussia Dortmund (A)
- Napoli (A)
- Real Madrid (A)
- Copenhagen (H)
- Club Brugge (A)
Last season’s semi-finalists begin with favorable games but face consecutive away trips to Napoli and Real Madrid, who they beat in last year’s quarter-finals.
Manchester City
- Paris Saint-Germain (A)
- Benfica (H)
- Monaco (A)
- Slavia Prague (A)
- PSV Eindhoven (A)
- Inter Milan (H)
- Athletic Club (H)
- Bayer Leverkusen (A)
City’s campaign starts with a huge clash against holders PSG and also features rematches with Inter Milan and Slavia Prague, before ending against Bayer Leverkusen.
Chelsea
- Villarreal (H)
- Qarabag (A)
- Napoli (H)
- Juventus (A)
- Kairat (H)
- Sporting CP (A)
- Bayern Munich (A)
- Barcelona (H)
Chelsea return with a balanced set of fixtures, though their toughest tests—Bayern and Barcelona—come right at the end.
Newcastle
- Galatasaray (A)
- Marseille (H)
- Sporting (A)
- Qarabag (H)
- Bayern Munich (H)
- Paris Saint-Germain (A)
- Juventus (A)
- Atletico Madrid (H)
Back in the Champions League, Newcastle face a brutal lineup that includes Bayern, PSG, Juventus and Atletico Madrid, along with a tricky opener away to Galatasaray.
Tottenham Hotspur
- Bodo Glimt (H)
- Copenhagen (A)
- Inter Milan (A)
- Bayer Leverkusen (H)
- Barcelona (H)
- Ajax (A)
- Union SG (H)
- Benfica (A)
Europa League finalists Spurs could have a favorable draw, with Barcelona, Inter and Leverkusen providing the sternest tests. They begin with two fixtures against Scandinavian opposition.
