UEFA Champions League (UCL) holders Paris Saint-Germain will face Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the new league phase, following Thursday’s draw which produced several high-profile match-ups.

Real Madrid, winners of a record 15 titles, will take on Manchester City and Liverpool as the expanded league format, introduced last season, continues.

PSG is also set to play Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Atalanta, and Bayer Leverkusen, with each club playing eight games, four at home and four away.

Real Madrid will face Manchester City for a fifth straight season and travel to Liverpool, marking a return for former Reds star Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Madrid will also host Juventus and make a long trip to Kazakhstan to face debutants Kairat Almaty, who stunned Celtic in the playoff round.

Liverpool, top of last season’s league phase, is drawn against Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, and Eintracht Frankfurt in the new 36-team format.

Bayern Munich will face Chelsea, Arsenal, and Club Brugge in a competitive group, while Manchester City meet Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Villarreal, and Leverkusen.

Inter Milan, last season’s runners-up, will host Liverpool and Arsenal and travel to Atlético Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

Barcelona, La Liga champions and last year’s semi-finalists, host PSG and play away matches at Chelsea and Newcastle.

Arsenal, which reached the semi-finals last season, face Atlético Madrid, Club Brugge, and long-time rivals Bayern Munich.

The Gunners have failed to beat Bayern in their last five Champions League encounters, including two heavy defeats in 2017.

The Premier League has six representatives: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs will face PSG, Borussia Dortmund, and Villarreal, while Serie A champions Napoli are drawn against Chelsea, Manchester City, Frankfurt, and Benfica.

Newcastle, making their first UCL appearance in more than 20 years, have a tough draw with matches against Barcelona, PSG, Benfica, and Bayer Leverkusen.

The league phase runs from Sept. 16 to Jan. 28, featuring eight matchdays that will determine the clubs progressing to the knockout stage.

The knockout round begins in February, and the final is scheduled for May 30 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.

In other news, Chelsea was honoured as the first club to win all five major UEFA trophies: the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Super Cup, and Cup Winners’ Cup.

Former Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovi? received the UEFA President’s Award for his outstanding contributions to football. (Reuters/NAN)